Sounds like a horror movie, but in 2011, an invasion of giant African land snails wreaked havoc on Miami Dade County. It took ten years to get rid of them. Although some may find them exotic and cute (and people do collect them), the rat-sized snails can carry a human parasite called rat lungworm, which can cause a form of meningitis that can be fatal.
Pasco County in Florida is now under quarantine due to another growing infestation of the giant snails. Giant rat-sized snails. The snails are native to east Africa and can grow up to eight inches long.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) website, the snails are in the New Port Richey area.
The snails produce up to 2,500 eggs per year and are difficult to control.
According to the website, the snail population probably resulted from an illegal pet trade. It is illegal to own the giant African snails in the US, but exotic pet owners collect them. Left on their own in the wild, the snails manage to serve on 500 different species of plants, plastic, and paint or stucco from houses, and their populations grow quickly.
The website states: “It is unlawful to move the giant African land snail or a regulated article, including but not limited to, plants, plants parts, plants in soil, soil, yard waste, debris, compost or building materials, within, through or from a quarantine area without a compliance agreement.”
Agriculture Department spokeswoman Denise Feiber said that so far there have been no human cases of meningitis related to the snails, but the parasite has been detected in some of the snails that have been captured.
The quarantine, which began June 25, is an attempt to keep the snails from spreading to other locations.
The FDACS will spend three years in an effort to eradicate the snail population in Pasco County, using the pesticide metaldehyde in the soil.
Residents who think they have spotted a giant African land snail are advised to call the FDACS hotline and avoid touching a snail without gloves, due to the risk of meningitis.
