NPR Reports that a small suburb in Miami is invaded by Giant African Land Snails. The article also gives a hint on the reproduction capability of these snails:
“Back in 1965 we had an introduction that was traced back to an elementary-aged child that had put two of them in his pocket in Hawaii and brought them back to Miami,” Gaskalla says. “Seventeen-thousand snails, a million dollars, and ten years, we eradicated them.”
With modern technology in communications and containment, I don’t think the current issue will be as bad as the 1965 incident. However, this incident shows the impact of irresponsible smuggling and handling of species.
Interestingly, there is a Telugu Novel in late 1970’s by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy. The story is all about how a Giant African Land Snail smuggled into India causes havoc. One of my favorite childhood fiction.