DAVIE, Fla. – An animal genetics canine dog searched for Giant African Land Snails in the backyard of a Davie home Wednesday.
Sean Cononie was shocked to learn the home he recently purchased is infested with the snails, which are an invasive species with no natural predator.
"I had some work being done by some plumbers and FPL was doing some work with their contractors and they discovered these things," said Cononie.
"This is an agricultural area," said Judy Paul, Mayor of Davie. "It is filled with beautiful plants and nurseries. We are very close to Long Key nature preserve, so we have a lot at stake here that we need to protect."
The USDA and Florida's agriculture department have already spent millions of dollars trying to eradicate the slug from Miami-Dade County.
"We don't want Broward County to get into the shape that Miami-Dade County was when we first found out about it three years ago," said Mark Fagan of the Florida Department of Agriculture.
The Massive mollusk is also dangerous to humans. It carries a parasitic nematode in its slime that you can't see.
"It can get into your body, your blood stream and go up to your brain," said Fagan. "It will die in your brain and expose you to parasitic meningitis."
There is no cure for parasitic meningitis.
African Land Snail can grow up to 8 inches long and lay up to 1,200 eggs a year. One key thing to look for is the vertical stripes on the back of the shell. Many snails will have vertical and horizontal or spiral stripes.
Inspectors, snail hunters and snail canines are expected to continue searching for the snails throughout Broward County for the next few weeks.