A district in quarantine – we recently knew that, especially in connection with the corona virus. But in Florida, authorities imposed the lockdown for a different reason. The area is currently being infested by dangerous giant snails.
They are enormous, they spread extremely quickly – and they are dangerous: African giant snails. For a district in the US state of Florida, the imported animals are now becoming a massive problem. The authorities have therefore now quarantined parts of Pasco County.
This means that residents are not allowed to take plants, garden waste, rubble, compost or building materials out of the restricted area without permission. The intentional export of the giant snails is also prohibited. Under no circumstances should the animals be touched without gloves or other protective equipment, according to the responsible agriculture and consumer authority FDACS.
“Our goal is to eradicate the snails”
The quarantine area initially extends over a radius of almost a kilometer around the small town of New Port Richey. The authorities announced that they would treat all properties in the restricted zone with a special pesticide in the next few days. If more snails are found, there is a risk that the radius will increase. “Our goal is to eradicate the snails,” Christina Chitty of the FDACS told US broadcaster CNN. “It’s a comprehensive and extensive process.”
The giant snail, which isn’t native to Pasco County, has twice been introduced to Pasco County — and twice it’s been successfully eradicated, FDACS writes on its website. However, on June 23, another specimen was found by a gardener in the north Tampa county, reports the New York Times.
That’s why African giant snails are so dangerous
The snails, which are usually the size of a fist, pose a significant health risk to humans because they carry a parasite called rat lungworm. If people come into contact with the parasites, for example through lettuce with contaminated giant snail mucus, there is a risk of meningitis (inflammation of the meninges) – and in the worst case, death.
The current plague is probably due to illegal trade, Chitty explained. The giant African snails are actually not allowed to be kept as pets in the USA – the health risk they pose is too great. However, according to Chitty, some lovers of exotic specimens might do so.
As soon as the snails – whether intentional or accidental – get into the wild, they can spread almost unchecked, the expert said. The animals can feed on more than 500 different types of plants and even get nutrients such as calcium from wall paint and stucco. In the current case, too, the authorities suspect that at least one snail must have escaped from a private household and that the population subsequently exploded in Pasco County.
The snails can grow up to 20 centimeters long
According to the FDACS, giant African snails are “one of the most invasive pests on the planet” and not easy to find: they hide in cool, damp places during the day, come out to feed at night, and lay many thousands of eggs over their lifetime. Some snails can grow up to 20 centimeters long and 12 centimeters wide. Their original habitat is the African continent south of the Sahara.
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“Pasco County is a lot drier than South Florida because there’s so much shrub habitat,” Bill Kern, an associate professor at the University of Florida and a pest expert, told the New York Times. Giant African land snails typically “like moisture, and they like dense vegetation,” according to Kern. This is probably why they were able to spread so rapidly in the area. (mic)
