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NEWS > U.S.A. > MIAMI WAGING WAR AGAINST HOUSE-SIZED SNAILS
MIAMI WAGING WAR AGAINST HOUSE-SIZED SNAILS
September 19 2011
Miami, FL – There are many dangers in the world, dangers that remain relatively unknown to the majority of people. That is something the people of Miami are learning the hard way after learning that their fair city is rapidly being invaded by giant snails, snails literally capable and willing to eat houses.
Miami has quickly become known as ground zero for the invasion of the Giant African Land Snail, the largest of its species. Harbouring disease and a nasty appetite, the snail has started to slide across the city, prompting officials to jump into action to combat the deadly creature before it becomes too late to do anything.
The battle, though, is not going well.
“It's us against the snails. They'll attach to the side of the house and eat the stucco off the side of the house,” said Richard Gaskalla of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service. “They also carry the rat-lung worm which can transmit meningitis to humans. There is really nothing beneficial about these creatures but we are doing our best to combat them.”
The recent outbreak has been traced to small religious sect in the area who worship the snail for its curative properties. It’s not clear how many of the creatures have been unleashed on the city.
A similar outbreak began in 1965 and ended up taking years to beat back and cost millions of dollars. That particular outbreak began with two snails.
Thus far, Florida has not sought federal assistance to combat the snail invasion but they may be forced to do so if it continues to spread.
“There are a lot of odd creatures in the world which are kept at bay in their natural environment through predation, but we have found out the hard way that when they are removed from their natural environment they can become a nuisance, and even a menace,” said Scrape TV Zoology analyst Cambridge Walker. “In their own environment these snails would be dealt with, their populations would be kept low, but those predators just don’t exist in Miami and that means there is no way to stop their spread outside human interference, and that will be costly and dangerous.”
The snails, when captured, are usually frozen to death which is considered the most humane and effective way to destroy them. Because of Florida’s lack of cold weather, the species has been allowed to flourish. It’s believed likely that any invasion into northern states would be halted by winter weather.
“You are going to start seeing houses come down around people, or perhaps not. By the time the houses have started to collapse the people inside will likely have fled or become infected with meningitis. This has the potential to be one of the major natural disasters Florida, or the United States as a whole, has ever seen,” continued Walker. “Unfortunately this is going to be a problem for a long time to come. They may never really know if they got all of them and even a few can allow the population to rebound. They may never go away, not completely and that is not good news for the people of Miami.”
Officials are asking residents to not squish the snails themselves but rather to call if one is spotted.
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
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