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US News

Florida city under quarantine after deadly giant African snail detected

By
Katherine Donlevy
Published June 20, 2023
Updated June 21, 2023, 10:04 a.m. ET

They’re not escargot-ing anywhere.

State officials placed part of a Florida city under quarantine Tuesday as they race to eradicate the invasive, parasite-carrying giant African snail.

The 3.5-mile section of Miramar in Broward County — located just 11 miles west of Hollywood — will be covered in a metaldehyde-based molluscicide to exterminate any giant African snails after at least one was found in the area earlier this month.

Residents will be able to move out of the treatment area freely but are prevented from moving any plant-based supplies that could harbor the mammoth mollusk’s eggs.

“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 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced.

The agency confirmed that a giant African snail — which can stretch up to 8 inches long — was spotted in the area in June, prompting an increased survey.

Giant African land snail.
The invasive giant African land snail carries the rat lungworm parasite that can induce meningitis in humans. TNS

Giant African snails have been deemed “one of the most damaging snails in the world” for their threat to both agriculture and human life.

The snails carry the frightfully named rat lungworm parasite that can induce meningitis in humans.

They are also capable of ravaging vegetation and are known to dine on more than 500 types of plants.

The mollusks can produce up to 1,200 eggs a year.

Inspectors put up street signs to alert residents that a snail-hunt is underway.
The 3.5-mile section of Miramar in Broward County will be covered in a metaldehyde-based molluscicide after a giant African snail was found in the area earlier this month. AFP via Getty Images
Scientist Mary Yong Cong holds one of the Giant African Snails she keeps in her lab in Miami, Florida.
Residents will be able to move out of the area freely but are prevented from moving any plant-based supplies. AFP via Getty Images

Florida has twice before eradicated the snail since first discovering it in 2010 — most recently a 10-year effort in Miami-Dade County that cost $23 million and ended in 2021 after the collection of about 170,000 snails.

The Broward County quarantine is the third to be put into effect in Florida in the last year.

A swath of the west coast’s Lee County was quarantined following the massive mollusk’s detection in December, just six months after Pasco County suffered the same affliction.