A South Florida town is under quarantine to eradicate invasive giant African land snails that can grow up to eight inches long and are a danger to agriculture, infrastructure, and even humans.
The slugs were detected earlier this month in Broward County’s Miramar community, with the quarantine being ordered on Tuesday by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
According to the department, they are “one of the most damaging snails in the world, consuming at least 500 different types of plants” and posing a significant risk to the Sunshine State’s $8 billion agriculture industry. They can also chew through stucco, plastic, recycling bins, and street signs, and their shells can blow out tires.
The snails also pose a significant health risk to humans. They carry a parasite called rat lungworm, which can cause meningitis in humans. The disease causes membranes in the brain and spinal cord to swell, and parasitic meningitis can infect the eyes, leading to paralysis, coma, or death in serious cases. There is no treatment for this type of meningitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the quarantine order, it is illegal to move the snails or “plants, plant parts, plants in soil, soil, yard waste, debris, compost or building materials, within, through or from the defined quarantine area without a compliance agreement.”
The state’s Department of Agriculture is attempting to eradicate the problem using snail bait and a pesticide, which is safe for local plants.
The snails are native to eastern Africa, and it is unclear how they arrived in Broward County. Authorities have tied the worldwide spread to the pet trade, and it is possible that someone brought snails to the U.S. as a pet, according to The Daily Mail. The importation of the giant African land snail into the country is illegal without a permit.
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The last sighting of these snails in Florida was in 2022 when more than 1,000 were seen north of Tampa. An eradication effort that began in the 1960s took at least ten years to complete and cost more than $1 million.