Florida battles a pest that it eradicated in 2021 spending $23 million. Find out what it is

Slow and steady wins the race. But, in this case, slow and steady is leisurely destroying Florida's gardens. The giant African snail, which is also potentially dangerous to humans, has re-invaded a southern US state. For about a month now, since June 23, employees of Florida's Department of Agriculture have been scouring the gardens of New Port Richey, a small community in Paso County on Florida's west coast where the invasive species has spread.

Talking to AFP, one of the department biologists Jason Stanley explained the snail "feeds on over 500 different species of plants" and a single big African snail may produce up to 2,000 eggs a year, which when combined with its huge appetite could be disastrous for the state's thriving agriculture industry.

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"Another issue with this snail is that it carries the rat lungworm, which can cause meningitis in humans," said Stanley, adding, "we're concerned with that being in our environment".

Earlier in 1975 and again in 2021, other regions of Florida successfully exterminated the big African snail. The latter operation, which took place in Miami-Dade County and cost $23 million, lasted for ten years.

Thanks to snail-sniffing canines more than 1,000 gastropods have already been caught in the current "snail hunt".

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Authorities in Florida think someone brought the eastern African snail home as a pet, which is how it was reintroduced to the state.

In order to try to stop the snails from spreading further, the Florida Department of Agriculture has established a quarantine zone within New Port Richey, from where no plants or other vegetation may be removed.

They are also using metaldehyde, a pesticide that is safe for both humans and animals, to eradicate the giant snails

(With inputs from agencies)

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