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The snails pose a well being danger to people as a result of they carry a parasite referred to as rat lungworm, which may trigger meningitis, Christina Chitty, a public info director at FDACS, informed CNN.
They’ll produce as much as 2,500 eggs per yr, so the inhabitants is troublesome to regulate.
In keeping with Chitty, the inhabitants in Pasco County possible originated from the unlawful pet commerce. Big African land snails are unlawful to personal as pets in the USA. However some unique pet homeowners nonetheless preserve the invasive pests. If the homeowners discard them into the wild or by chance lose them, they’ll rapidly set up a foothold, feeding on over 500 totally different plant species and even consuming the paint and stucco off homes as a supply of calcium.
Chitty mentioned the division is at present investigating the inhabitants and figuring out what number of snails are in Pasco County. The snails are native to east Africa and might develop as much as eight inches lengthy.
The quarantine took impact June 25 and prevents residents from shifting the snail or associated gadgets, like crops and soil, in or out of the designated quarantine space. Residents who assume they’ve noticed an enormous African land snail are suggested to name the FDACS hotline and keep away from touching the snail with out gloves on because of the meningitis danger.
In keeping with Chitty, FDACS plans to spend three years eradicating the inhabitants in Pasco County, utilizing the pesticide metaldehyde to deal with the soil.
“The purpose is to eradicate” the snails, mentioned Chitty. “It’s a complete and in depth course of.”
Whereas the snails in Miami-Dade County had grey-colored flesh, the snails in Pasco County have white flesh, mentioned Chitty.
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