According to reports, huge African snails are flourishing in southern Florida. They are consuming a number of plant species together with the stucco off houses over four years even after launch of a $10 million program by the state to get rid of them.

According to Mark Fagan, a spokesman for the state agriculture department, "The fact is they're a human and animal health threat and they're a threat to Florida's agriculture. We can't let the population continue".

The African snails have continuously escaped the state's efforts of eliminating them. These efforts could yield no result when the gastropods go up to trees in order to avoid chemicals on the ground, or hibernate under the soil for a number of months at a time.

According to officials, in the past four years, more than 158,000 huge African snails have been eliminated and the last finding was reported in April.

The snails were discovered in Miami, Florida in 2011. They first invaded in the 1960s. At present, the southern suburbs neighboring Miami together with Broward County are home to these huge, frightening insects and they have dysfunctional effects on ecosystem of the region.

If the snails eat infected rat feces, they can carry a parasitic worm, which poses danger to humans and can lead to a rare form of meningitis. As per reports, the biggest snail was found in Florida and it was approximately seven inches long. As per reports, snails were detected outside four houses, and they were killed off immediately.