The Fiji Times is reporting that a bunch of giant African land snails (Achatina fulica) were caught trying to sneak onto the island of Fiji this week. Luckily, they were caught during an inspection by the island's Quarantine Department and were properly disposed of. The article notes the threat the snails pose to agriculture, but also claims they are not a threat to humans. Regular readers of the ISW will remember that they can be carriers of the rat parasite Parastrongylus cantonensis, which can be transmitted to humans and has been known to be deadly.
Do click through to the full story, if only to check out the requisite photo of a giant snail. Fiji looks to have the coolest and toughest quarantine inspectors, do they not? If I were a snail I wouldn't mess with them! ;-)
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