South Florida's Broward county placed under quarantine after giant African snail found

Broward County in South Florida was placed under quarantine after a giant African land snail, an invasive species, was spotted on June 2, authorities announced on Tuesday. 

The giant African land snail was spotted in Miramar, driving authorities to establish a quarantine zone covering about 3.5 square miles: from Pembroke Road to the north to NW 215th Street in Miami Dade to the south, South University Drive to the West, and SW 62nd Avenue to the East. 

Under the quarantine guidelines, individuals cannot move the snails or any plant, soil, compost, or yard waste, in or out of the zone without prior approval from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Giant African snails can pose health risks to humans and the environment because they can carry a parasitic nematode that can cause meningitis in humans. Additionally, the snails can cause significant damage to the ecosystem because they can eat more than 500 types of plants and can cause structural damage to plaster and stucco structures. 

The snails, which can grow larger than the size of a human fist also multiply quickly, producing more than 1,200 eggs or more a year, and have no natural predators in the U.S.

Because of the potential hazards they pose, Giant African snails are considered a pest and are prohibited in the U.S. The snails were first found in the country in southern Florida in the 1960s after someone allegedly smuggled them in from Hawaii and released them into their garden. It took authorities more than 10 years and over $1 million to eradicate it, according to the USDA. 

Last summer, Pasco County, about half an hour north of Tampa, was placed under quarantine after a giant African land snail was spotted there. Authorities captured more than 1,000 snails over the course of several weeks, according to agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried.