Florida Town Quarantined to Eradicate Giant Invasive Snails

Mary Yong Cong, a Florida Dept. of Agriculture scientist, holds a Giant African Snail in her Miami lab on July 17, 2015. Kerry Sheridan/AFP via Getty Images

A community in Broward County, Florida, is under quarantine by state officials in a bid to eradicate a species of invasive giant African land snail that can transmit a parasite and also do massive amounts of agricultural damage.

The giant snails, which can grow up to 8 inches in length, were found in Miramar earlier in June, officials said. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ordered the community to be placed under quarantine.

The agency says the snail species, Lissachatina fulica, doesn’t only transmit the parasite, but it poses a significant threat to local agriculture, wildlife, and even property. The agency noted the species is “one of the most damaging snails in the world, consuming at least 500 different types of plants” and can reportedly eat plastic, street signs, stucco, and other inorganic material. Their shells are reportedly able to puncture car tires.

“Under the quarantine, it is unlawful to move a giant African land snail or a regulated article, including, but not limited to, 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 news release said.

To deal with the snails that were found in Miramar, the agriculture department said it “will continue to use the same treatment methodology for this pest which is a metaldehyde-based molluscicide (snail bait) and is approved for residential use.”

Florida state officials set up two treatment areas within the Miramar quarantine zone, showing a map (pdf) released by the agency.

Lifespan of a Giant African Land Snail.
Courtesy, Florida Agriculture Commission

“These snails could be devastating to Florida agriculture and natural areas as they cause extensive damage to tropical and subtropical environments,” according to the news release. “The snails also pose a serious health risk to humans by carrying parasite rat lungworm, known to cause meningitis in humans. Giant African land snails are illegal to import or possess in the United States without a permit.”

‘Do Not Eat Them’

Rat lungworm, a parasitic nematode, is primarily transmitted through snails and is considered the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean Basin.

Parasitic meningitis can infect the eyes and can lead to coma, paralysis, and death in certain cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There is no treatment for the condition.

“If you see one of these snails, do not touch it,” former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said last year in a news conference. “Most importantly, do not eat them. This is not a snail to be put on butter and oil and garlic.”

A rout of giant African snails gather, in a corner in Havana, Cuba, on Aug. 28, 2019. Ismael Francisco/AP Photo, File

Florida’s agriculture agency did not say where it suspects the Broward County snails, which are native to East Africa, had originated. Previously, authorities have tied the African giant species to the wildlife and pet trade.

Tuesday’s quarantine marks yet another time the species has been found in Florida in recent years, according to the Washington Post.

In 2022, more than 1,000 invasive giant African land snails were detected in Florida, north of Tampa.  In 2011, the snails were found in Miami-Dade County in 2011, and it took officials 10 years and $23 million to eradicate the animals.

And in the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it took officials 10 years and $1 million to eradicate the snail after it was found in South Florida.

“There are currently three quarantine areas throughout Florida,” says an update posted on the Florida Department of Agriculture’s website. “These quarantines are in Broward, Lee and Pasco counties. It is unlawful to move the giant African land snail or a regulated article, including, but not limited to, plants, plant parts, plants in soil, soil, yard waste, debris, compost or building materials, within, through or from a quarantine area without a compliance agreement.”

In previous infestations, according to Smithsonian Magazine, Florida used specially-trained dogs to hunt the giant snails.

Giant African land snails are seen as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announces it has positively identified a population of the invasive species in Miami-Dade County in Miami, Fla., on Sep. 15, 2011. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

“The giant African land snail ... is one of the most invasive pests on the planet, causing agricultural and environmental damage wherever it is found,” the USDA says on its website about the species. “This snail is a federally prohibited organism that cannot be legally sold or possessed in the USA,” the notice says.

Smugglers often bring the snails into the United States as pets or as a delicacy. Earlier this year, a man in Detroit was caught with six living giant African snails in his briefcase, according to reports.