USDA officials raided two pet stores and a residence in Wisconsin recently and confiscated more than 80 giant African snails. The snails are banned in the U.S. but are still being imported for sale in the pet trade. Scientists consider the giant African snail, Achatina fulica, to be one of the most damaging land snails in the world. It is known to eat at least 500 different types of plants including beans, peas, cucumbers and melons. It also is known to carry organisms that cause serious illness in humans; the organisms can be transferred by handling the snails and then touching the mucous membranes in eyes, nose or mouth.
Reaching up to 20 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter, the giant African snail is one of the largest land snails in the world. Believed to be originally from East Africa, A fulica has established itself throughout the Indo-Pacific Basin, including the Hawaiian islands. It has also been introduced to the Caribbean islands. In 1996, a Miami boy smuggled three giant African snails home from Hawaii. His grandmother released the snails into her garden. Seven years later, more than 18,000 snails had been found. The Florida state eradication program took 10 years and cost $1 million.
If you ever see one of these snails in a pet shop or elsewhere, notify your county Extension agent and ask him or her to contact APHIS.