Scary and slimy and nasty — giant African land snails invaded Coral Gables back in 2013, but this time, they’ve come out of their shells and introduced themselves to Miramar, prompting a quarantine area in a section of Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Officials established the area from Pembroke Road on the north to Northwest 215th Street on the south and University Drive on the west to Southwest 62nd Avenue on the east as a quarantine zone. But quarantine doesn’t mean staying in your homes — it means you can’t move one of the snails or plants, soil and yard waste without permission.
“The problem with them is they reproduce so quickly," Zoo Miami's Ron Magill told NBC6. "Listen, those things, I think they came into this country back in the 1930s, then in the 1960s. The Department of Agriculture thought they had ‘em eradicated, and all of a sudden, they turn up again.”
So what’s the danger to humans?
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Giant African land snails carry parasites that can transmit meningitis. They are also voracious eaters — they gobble up at least 500 types of plants and even eat the stucco right off your walls.
“They’re not attack snails, and most people can outrun a snail," Magill said. "The key thing is, do not try to pick one up, do not try to handle one. If you see one, you need to call the Department of Agriculture immediately.”
The snails can lay over 2,500 eggs in just one year, making the population difficult to contain.
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"Florida is the Ellis Island of invasive species, of exotic animals, because these animals — they get loose in New York or Michigan and the first winter they’re dead — they get loose in Florida, and it’s welcome to club med for invasive species," Magill said.
