Thousands Of African Land Snails Captured
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Thirty three thousand and counting. That's how many invasive African land snails have been captured by state agriculture workers since they were first reported in Miami-Dade County in September.
Most were collected after homeowners called the Florida Department of Agriculture Division of Plant Industry's hotline.
The land snail eats at least 500 different types of plants.It also can carry a parasite that can lead to meningitis in humans. Some 17,000 snails were collected over a nine-year eradication program in the 1960s. That cost $1 million and is the only successful giant African land snail eradication program to date.
The state and federal departments of agriculture have as many as 200 employees assigned to snail eradication efforts. The hotline is 888-397-1517.
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