Invasive and voracious, these giant snails from Africa represent a threat to human health as well as to agricultural crops. A chemical eradication operation was launched to end the invasion.
A growing population of giant African land snails has been discovered in Pasco County, north of Tampa, Florida (USA). The presence of these dangerous specimens, the first of which was found by a gardener on June 23, caused part of the town of New Port Richey to be quarantined on June 25.
The presence of this invasive gastropod has been confirmed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). “We are currently investigating the species to determine the number of snails in Pasco CountyFDACS director of public information Christina Chitty told CNN. A chemical eradication operation using metaldehyde pesticide was immediately launched to treat the soil. According to the FDACS, the operation will take three years to be fully effective.
A threat to crops
Native to East Africa, this breed of snail is considered “one of the hundred most invasive species on the planet” , according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It poses a significant threat to natural areas and agricultural crops, as it feeds on at least 500 different types of plants. Once adult, the giant snail can measure up to 20 cm in length and 18 cm in diameter. These snails can produce 2500 eggs per year, which makes their population difficult to eradicate.
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When it cannot find enough calcium in the soil for its shell, the animal attacks the stucco and paintwork of houses, leaving behind a trail of excrement. For Christina Chitty, its presence is the result of the illegal animal trade. “Some Exotic Owners Still Keep Invading Pests“, she says. In the United States, it is illegal to own giant land snails as pets.
Dangerous for human health
These gastropods are especially dangerous for human health, because carriersa parasite called rat lungwormcapable of transmitting meningitis to humans, explains Christina Chitty to CNN. This is why the FDACS decreed a quarantine and a ban on touching the animal without gloves. An alert, shot in a humorous tone, was posted on social networks by the institution to warn of dangers.
This is not the first time that Americans have faced this problem of the spread of giant snails. The FDACS lists two invasions in Florida. The first appearance of this pest dates back to 1969, when a child brought three of these creatures from Hawaii to his grandmother. Once released in the garden, they reproduced and infested the whole area. The invasion was checked only after ten years.
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More recently, in 2011, this species was spotted in Miami-Dade County. The state of Florida had treated the soil until 2021, an operation that had cost nearly $24 million.
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