South Florida is currently dealing with a growing infestation of one of the world's most invasive species, the giant African land snail, which can eat least 500 different agricultural crops and cause damage to plaster and stucco.
The Giant African Land Snail may not sound like a rapidly growing problem, but the Florida Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been trying to fight the invasion since September 2011. They have already collected more than 117,000 of the Giant African snails or about 1,000 a week.
The Giant African land snail is one of the largest land snails in the world, growing up to eight inches in length and more than four inches in diameter.
Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services warned that residents should ready themselves to find more of these giant mollusks as they begin to emerge from underground hibernation at the start of the state's rainy season in just seven weeks.
Feiber also warned that these giant African land snails carry parasitic rat lungworm that can cause illness in humans, including a form of meningitis. The origin of the outbreak is still not known, however experts who gather in Gainesville, Florida, for a Giant African Land Snail Science Symposium, last week suggest that it may have possibly been caused by a religious group that use them as part of rituals. The Miami Santeria group, a religion with West African and Caribbean roots, which was found in 2010 has been using them as part of the religious rituals, but as of now, it is only speculation.
It cost more than $1 million and took 10 years to successfully eradicate this pest from Florida. This is the only known successful giant African land snail eradication program, according to Reuters.
