Kerala and the scourge of Giant African Snails

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Editor's note: They are big and slimy. They can destroy your farmlands and bring down the walls of your house. They multiply so fast, they give bunnies a good name. They are Giant African Snails. Put like that it sounds like the voiceover from the trailer of a cheesy Twilight Zone episode. But the scourge of the Giant African Snails in Kerala is taking a toll on the state’s property, health, agricultural resources and landscapes. And over the past two decades, it’s only gotten worse. To be fair, the snails aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. They feed on worms, plants and limestone, found in the walls of buildings. They are a remarkably resilient species, capable of hibernating and surviving up to three years without food. They’re not too bad to look at either: they have a long, elegant shell with hues of gold and brown. Compared to an ordinary snail, they grow up to 20cm. Hence the ‘giant’ in their name. They play a crucial role in the East African ecosystem. But international trade and exchange brought them out of …