the county of Pascolocated in the state of Florida, must have self-quarantine for a new invasion of giant african snails. Authorities from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) assured that the terrestrial mollusk, which can grow to the size of a fist, also carries a parasite that causes meningitis, so they suggested wearing gloves for handling.
State officials were forced to issue a quarantine order due to the reappearance of this species that had become extinct only a year ago, after more than a decade of fighting the plague.
Agriculture and Consumer Services staff described the giant African species as “one of the most harmful subtypes of molluscs” around the world due to its ability to irremediably affect crops, vegetation and infrastructure.
“These specimens they have a wide capacity to reproduce, with more than a thousand eggs at a time since they are four months old. In addition, they have a wide ability to cling to vehicles, which benefits them to transport from one place to another and spread over several areas”they indicated from the state department.
parasite carriers
As if that wasn’t enough, giant African snails are a public health hazard. And it is that they are carriers of a parasite called rat lungworm causing meningitisan inflammatory disease of the fluid and membranes of the brain and spinal cord, said CNN website.
Pasco authorities believe that the snail population originated in the illegal pet trade. Giant African land snails are illegal as pets in the United States, but some exotic pet owners continue to keep these invasive pests. If homeowners abandon them in the wild or accidentally lose them, they can reproduce rapidly, feeding on more than 500 different plant species and even consuming house paint and stucco as a source of calcium.
What does quarantine mean?
the quarantine came into force on June 25 and prevents residents from moving the snail or related articles, such as plants and earth, inside or outside the designated area so that the pest does not spread further. Similarly, they advised residents who think they have seen a giant African land snail to call the FDACS hotline and avoid touching it without gloves due to the risk of meningitis.
The FDACS plans spend three years eradicating the population in Pasco County, using the pesticide metaldehyde to treat soil.
The state began treating the quarantine area in Pasco County with a snail bait containing metaldehyde, a pesticide approved for use on vegetable and ornamental crops, fruit trees, and other plants that disrupts the digestive system of giant African land snails and kills them.
A plague of a decade
This is not the first time that Florida has faced an invasion of giant snails. In 2011, a population of these pests was discovered in Miami-Dade County.. It was not until 2021 that this population was completely eradicated.
While Miami-Dade County snails had gray meat, Pasco County snails they have white meatauthorities explained.
The dreaded snails, known to invasive species connoisseurs as GALS, were discovered in June by a gardener in Pasco County, north of Tampa, the first time a population of them has been detected outside of South Florida.
The return of the snails was a surprising and unwelcome development in a state where wildlife often makes headlines: A record-breaking 215-pound Burmese python was captured in the Everglades late last year, and where invasive species routinely wreak havoc.