03/08/05 Keeping an eye out for African snails

Giant African Land Snails are illegal in this country. Despite that some of them have turned up in school science projects or on the Internet pet trading lists. Idaho Department of Agriculture's Ben Simko says there are three African snail species, each of which can grow to six to eight inches in length and four inches in diameter. SIMKO "This is a bad actor. It's a pest that can potentially can destroy over 500 different crops has a tremendous reproductive potential." These snails could devastate Idaho beans, peas and other vegetables. They are also known to carry a pathogen that is a parasitic roundworm that can be transmitted to people who come in contact with the snail slime. The Department of Agriculture has sent letters out to teachers and schools warning them about the African snail and its potential damage to the environment. SIMKO "If you see anything quite large obviously you know this is something probably out of place and not native to Idaho and something we should be concerned about." And contact the Idaho Department of Agriculture at 332-8620 or the Boise office of the USDA if you think you've found the Giant African snail or its shell. Voice of Idaho Agriculture