Disaster A Florida county is quarantining after discovery of invasive Giant African land snail

A Florida county is under quarantine due to the discovery of a fast-growing population of invasive giant African land snails.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) confirmed there were giant African land snails in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County on June 23, according to FDACS' website.

The snails pose a health risk to humans because they carry a parasite called rat lungworm, which can cause meningitis, Christina Chitty, a public information director at FDACS, told CNN.

They can produce up to 2,500 eggs per year, so the population is difficult to control.

According to Chitty, the population in Pasco County likely originated from the illegal pet trade. Giant African land snails are illegal to own as pets in the United States. But some exotic pet owners still keep the invasive pests. If the owners discard them into the wild or accidentally lose them, they can quickly establish a foothold, feeding on over 500 different plant species and even consuming the paint and stucco off houses as a source of calcium.

Chitty said the department is currently investigating the population and determining how many snails are in Pasco County. The snails are native to east Africa and can grow up to 8 inches long.

The quarantine took effect June 25 and prevents residents from moving the snail or related items, like plants and soil, in or out of the designated quarantine area. Residents who think they have spotted a giant African land snail are advised to call the FDACS hotline and avoid touching the snail without gloves on due to the meningitis risk.

According to Chitty, FDACS plans to spend three years eradicating the population in Pasco County, using the pesticide metaldehyde to treat the soil.

"The goal is to eradicate" the snails, said Chitty. "It is a comprehensive and extensive process."

This is not the first time Florida has dealt with an invasion of giant snails. In 2011, a population of the pests was discovered in Miami-Dade County. It wasn't until 2021 the population was fully eradicated.

While the snails in Miami-Dade County had grey-colored flesh, the snails in Pasco County have white flesh, said Chitty.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/03/us/giant-african-snail-florida-scn-trnd/index.html (A)

 

[Tomboy Respecter]

Why do all these niggers bring exotic pests into Florida and then discard them when they discover they are disease-ridden or just don't want them? I fucking hate dumb niggers that do this shit. It's so fucking retarded to do this shit. I bet it's all spics or rich white yuppies that do this degenerate nonsense. Just leave those animals be in their native homes.

 

[Retink]

Bees, AIDS, Monkey Pox, Summers of Love, and now lung rotting snails. Why does Africa keep doing this?

 

[Ita Mori]

Florida will kowtow to nogdom one way or another.

 

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

Why do all these niggers bring exotic pests into Florida and then discard them when they discover they are disease-ridden or just don't want them? I fucking hate dumb niggers that do this shit. It's so fucking retarded to do this shit. I bet it's all spics or rich white yuppies that do this degenerate nonsense. Just leave those animals be in their native homes.

I honestly think some of it is the Somalians and other Africans Obama imported basically bringing shit in. I know some Somali’s who imported a pet goat to breed on their neighbors lot.

 

[Filthyphil]

When you could destroy them all with a pound of salt

 

[Knight of the Rope]

They can produce up to 2,500 eggs per year, so the population is difficult to control.

Sounds like a lot of snail slime.

 

[God's drunkest driver]

Why do all these niggers bring exotic pests into Florida and then discard them when they discover they are disease-ridden or just don't want them? I fucking hate dumb niggers that do this shit. It's so fucking retarded to do this shit. I bet it's all spics or rich white yuppies that do this degenerate nonsense. Just leave those animals be in their native homes.

Exotic pet people are cripplingly retarded. They're worse than "dog moms" with pet strollers and fake "service dog" assholes. I usually don't want the government involved in my business, I want them to fuck off. But I want a blanket ban on all exotic pets. Iguanas, monkeys, snails, whatever. If it isn't an ordinary pet (dog, cat, small bird like a budgie) or native to the US, you shouldn't be allowed to buy one as a pet. Petfags can't be trusted not to suddenly decide that the fact that a pet isn't a toy but a substantial responsibility is inconvenient.

 

[Cow-Lovin' Fool]

Exotic pet people are cripplingly retarded. They're worse than "dog moms" with pet strollers and fake "service dog" assholes. I usually don't want the government involved in my business, I want them to fuck off. But I want a blanket ban on all exotic pets. Iguanas, monkeys, snails, whatever. If it isn't an ordinary pet (dog, cat, small bird like a budgie) or native to the US, you shouldn't be allowed to buy one as a pet. Petfags can't be trusted not to suddenly decide that the fact that a pet isn't a toy but a substantial responsibility is inconvenient.

You are woefully ignorant. My emotional support tiger has NEVER mauled anyone!

 

[Picnic_Boy]

Exotic pet people are cripplingly retarded. They're worse than "dog moms" with pet strollers and fake "service dog" assholes. I usually don't want the government involved in my business, I want them to fuck off. But I want a blanket ban on all exotic pets. Iguanas, monkeys, snails, whatever. If it isn't an ordinary pet (dog, cat, small bird like a budgie) or native to the US, you shouldn't be allowed to buy one as a pet. Petfags can't be trusted not to suddenly decide that the fact that a pet isn't a toy but a substantial responsibility is inconvenient.

I have a parrot, most of them shouldn't be pets. They're delicate and very emotional. The bird trade is hideous. Even budgies need to be outside their cage a lot.

 

[NOT a Loaded Gun]

On the one hand, Florida. On the other hand, fuck it's still Florida. Giant pythons, iguanas, murder hornets, jews...and now this?

 

[Fanatical Pragmatist]

Clickbait headline.
Basically the county is under routine noxious/nuisance exotic control, where the agricultural authorities are checking plants & soil from nurseries & garden departments, but headline makes it sound like something that would give Bathhouse Fauci a boner because of snails.

Why do all these niggers bring exotic pests into Florida and then discard them when they discover they are disease-ridden or just don't want them? I fucking hate dumb niggers that do this shit. It's so fucking retarded to do this shit. I bet it's all spics or rich white yuppies that do this degenerate nonsense. Just leave those animals be in their native homes.

Most of them have tattoos, nose piercings and like to wear black ripped clothes.
They used to keep cobras in fucking plastic containers, now they bitch about how FL FWC is ruining "their industry" because FWC regulates the fuck out of the exotic pet trade (which as a lolbert makes me uneasy but seeing the dumb shit exotic weirdos think they need to keep in a trailer I understand).

I honestly think some of it is the Somalians and other Africans Obama imported basically bringing shit in. I know some Somali’s who imported a pet goat to breed on their neighbors lot.

Asians are responsible for the snakehead invasion.
Some chong in Maryland had a pond where he was keeping them for his restaurant then one rainy night the fish that can fucking "walk" (re:slither) across land got up and fucking slithered away. Given that there are multiple release points across multiple states and actually 2 different species of snakehead breeding in the US I imagine he wasn't the only one...

 

[Stoneheart]

just import a couple of hundred french people.

 

[Sundae]

just import a couple of hundred french people.

On one hand, that would help solve the snail problem.

On the other hand, now you'd have an infestation of French people.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

You are woefully ignorant. My emotional support tiger has NEVER mauled anyone!

Mine has. That's how he emotionally supports me.

 

[XYZpdq]

On the other hand, now you'd have an infestation of French people.

that's the beautiful part!

 

[Sundae]

Mine has. That's how he emotionally supports me.

On that note, I need to get some emotional support honey badgers.

 

[WonderWino]

There is only one way to be sure we get them all: burn florida to the ground

Nobody will miss it

 

[Smug Chuckler]

Buah they aren't as bad as the fire ants.

 

[Titos]

Exotic pet people are cripplingly retarded. They're worse than "dog moms" with pet strollers and fake "service dog" assholes. I usually don't want the government involved in my business, I want them to fuck off. But I want a blanket ban on all exotic pets. Iguanas, monkeys, snails, whatever. If it isn't an ordinary pet (dog, cat, small bird like a budgie) or native to the US, you shouldn't be allowed to buy one as a pet. Petfags can't be trusted not to suddenly decide that the fact that a pet isn't a toy but a substantial responsibility is inconvenient.

This is pretty accurate overall. I know alot of people in the "industry" or whatever you want to call it, and they're are very few that aren't insane. For example I know a guy who got his 5 year old daughter a hyena as a pet. You can guess what happened shortly after that decision was made.