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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations discovered 90 giant African land snails in a traveler’s luggage at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 30, 2024. The passenger had arrived from Ghana. The snails were seized and were “humanely euthanized,” the CBP says. The release says euthanizing the snails was necessary “to ensure they did not enter the ecosystem and cause havoc to U.S. agriculture.” 

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USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have been fighting to stop the spread of the giant African snail. In six, months, more than 40,000 of these snails have been collected. Alert homeowners are the first line of defense in reporting signs of snail infestations. Please do your part in the fight against invasive species -- if you have a giant African snail or see the snails or signs of their presence, call the toll-free helpline at (888) 397-1517.

This week, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Plant Industry (DPI), along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced the eradication of the giant African land snail (GALS) from Broward and Miami-Dade counties. This eradication announcement marks only the second time this pest has been eradicated in the world, both in South Florida. For the past 11 years, the FDACS Division of Plant Industry has worked toward eradication through multiple rounds of visual surveys and inspections, K-9 detector dog surveys and inspections, manual collection and treatment programs. In total, 168,538 snails were collected from 32 core population areas comprised of thousands of properties.

The giant African land snail is a highly invasive agricultural pest, known to feed on over 500 varieties of plants. They also pose a risk to humans and animals by carrying rat lung worm, a parasite that can cause meningitis in humans. Both the USDA and DPI will continue to remain vigilant in their commitments to safeguard American agriculture through surveys, early detection, and rapid response. The public should continue to watch for the snails and report suspects to the FDACS-DPI hotline at 1-888-397-1517.

Invasive species are one of the most dire threats to the endemic flora and fauna of the Galápagos Islands. One of the most aggressive species is the Giant African Snail (Lissachatina fulica), which was reported for the first time in Galápagos in 2010 and is a highly invasive species that appears on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list of the 100 most harmful invasive species in the world. Galápagos Conservancy President Dr. Paul Salaman recently signed a new agreement with the Galápagos Biosecurity & Quarantine Regulation & Control Agency (ABG) to strengthen control actions and prevent the spread of the African snail on the islands.

Officials issued a quarantine to control the invasive species, which devours vegetation, damages structures and can carry a parasite dangerous to humans. The invasive giant African land snail—one of the most damaging snails in the world—has returned to Florida for the third time in the state’s history. Florida's Broward county giant African land snail quarantine prohibits people in the 3.5-square-mile area from moving the giant African land snails, and they also must not transport certain plants, soil, compost and yard debris that could contain snails or their eggs.

Invasive alien species, such as the Giant African Snail, the Lionfish and rats, are threats and can impact negatively on small island developing states such as those in the Caribbean, which are widely recognized as biodiversity hotspots. Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, pointed this out today, as he delivered the feature address at the Regional Inception Workshop for the “Preventing Costs of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States” Project. The workshop will seek to finalize project work plans and budgets; to approve year one work plans and budgets and to understand the United Nations Environment Programme and Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International financial rules governing the project execution. It will also seek to understand monitoring and evaluation procedures and targets for the project, towards helping Barbados and other OECS countries manage and combat the adverse effects of IAS.

The giant African land snail (Lissachatina fulica (Bowditch)) (GALS) is one of the most invasive pests on the planet, causing agricultural and environmental damage wherever it is found. This snail was twice established in southeastern Florida and was successfully eradicated both times. On June 21, 2022, FDACS-DPI recieved a report of a possible population of the snail in New Port Richey, Pasco County. On June 23, a survey of the property confirmed the presence of a white form of the giant African land snail, which is popular in the pet trade in other countries. This snail is a Federally prohibited organism that cannot be legally sold or possessed in the USA.

If you see a suspect GALS, take a picture, and contact the DPI Helpline at 1-888-397-1517 or DPIHelpline@fdacs.gov for instructions how to submit pictures and needed information. 
See also: Pests & Diseases - Giant African Land Snail for more information

Giant African land snails (GALS) could be devastating to Florida agriculture and natural areas because they cause extensive damage to tropical and subtropical environments. GALS are illegal to import into the U.S. without a permit. If you have seen one of these snails please contact the FDACS helpline (888) 397-1517.