| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Kimberly Merenz |
| May 27, 2004 | (406) 444-3730
TTY (406) 444-4687 |
Giant Land Snails May be Risk to Health, Plants
HELENA, Mont. — Federal and state officials in Montana are cooperating to enforce a ban on giant African snails that could carry diseases and damage the environment.
Giant African land snails grow up to eight inches long and have voracious appetites, feasting on more than 500 plant species including crops such as potatoes, says Kimberly Merenz, quarantine/nursery specialist with the Montana Department of Agriculture. The snail also carries the rat lungworm parasite, which causes a rare form of the human disease eosinophilic meningitis.
Children are attracted to the giant mollusks because of their large size and the distinctive striped patterns on their shells. At a school in Illinois, 84 of the creatures were sent home with pupils and federal officials in that state were working with the school to track down the mollusks before any escaped into the environment.
In Montana, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is sending letters to school officials advising them of the problem and asking their cooperation to track down any illegal snails that may have found their way into classrooms.
Whether the snails could thrive in Montana is unknown. Although the species is found primarily in tropical areas, it can survive cold weather and even snow, according to a USDA fact sheet available online at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ep/gas.html.
The risk to human health in Montana is extremely low, according to officials with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. Humans can be infected only under unusual circumstances, such as by eating raw or undercooked snails or slugs.
A USDA hotline has been established for information on how to report or dispose of these snails. The number is 1-888-703-4457.
For more information in Montana, contact Kimberly Merenz at the Montana Department of Agriculture at 406-444-3144 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
