On Tuesday, an area of Broward County, near Fort Lauderdale, enacted a quarantine after the invasive giant African land snail was detected there this month. The U.S. Agriculture Department calls the giant African land snail “one of the most damaging snails in the world” for a reason. “They’re potentially dangerous from the disease perspective,” said Cowie, who lives in Hawaii, where the snails are an established presence. Identifiable by its brownish, striped shell, the giant African land snail is not your typical garden snail. It’s not clear how long it will take to rid the Florida area of the persistent pest.

Source: Washington Post June 21, 2023 17:20 UTC