‘Killer’ snails spreading meningitis in Tenerife as pressing warning issued

British vacationers heading to the Spanish island of Tenerife have been warned concerning the attainable menace to life posed by the Giant African land snail.

The animal has been described as “very dangerous” by scientists, who positioned it for the primary time within the Canary Islands and notably in Tenerife, a paradise visited by 230,000 Britons in March this 12 months alone.

The alert was raised by Network for the Detection and Intervention of Invasive Alien Species within the Canary Islands (REDEXOS), which pressured individuals shouldn’t contact the large snail, the scientific title of which is Lissachatina fulica.

Getting in shut contact with it, the physique mentioned, “represents a significant threat to human health, agriculture and the ecosystem in general.”

The fundamental well being menace coming with this animal is that it carries a parasite identified to trigger meningitis, an an infection that may be deadly.

Being extremely invasive, the large snail additionally threatens the ecosystem in Tenerife and might find yourself damaging each the native crops and the flora.

A spokesperson for the organisation urged individuals who may even see exemplars of one of these snail to remain removed from it and phone authorities at 645 601 457.

They added: “Citizen collaboration is essential to control the spread of this species and minimise its detrimental effects.”

REDEXOS is making an attempt to succeed in as many individuals as attainable to tell them of the hazard of those snails additionally by sharing data on social media.

Pictures posted on Twitter by the organisation present the distinction between the large snail and its counterpart generally discovered throughout the European continent.

Growing as much as eight inches lengthy, the Giant African land snails are native to East Africa.

They current a conical brown and yellow striped shell, with the darker color extra outstanding on the broader a part of the onerous hull.

Over the years, these animals have develop into in style amongst unique pet homeowners

Tenerife is not the primary location to be stricken by these animals – final 12 months the Florida district of Pasco County urged the general public to report sightings of those snails after they infested the realm.