Florida coast witnesses invasion by giant African land snails

The giant African snail is one of the most damaging invasive species in the world

Hundreds of giant African land snails have invaded Florida's Gulf Coast. This invasion threatens to destroy a vast array of plants and trees and poses the threat of transferring a rare type of meningitis to humans. The giant African snail is native to East Africa and is one of the most damaging invasive species in the world, eating around 500 different types of plants, tree bark, etc. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website, they even eat paint and stucco on houses.

Officials stressed the importance of not touching or ingesting the snail to prevent infections. To eradicate this problem, the state has placed an area of the county around New Port Richey under the supervision and will treat all properties within the zone until the snails are eliminated, the department's website said. This is the third time that the giant African land snail has invaded an area in Florida. In the 1960s, it took $1 million and ten years to eradicate the menace. In 2010, another infestation took place, which took another decade and $23 million to eradicate.