Illinois officials round up illegal snails

OAK LAWN, Ill. -- On the list of requests made of students, this may be one of the most unusual: Please bring your snails back to school.

It happened in Ridgeland School District 122 in Oak Lawn after administrators realized that caring for giant African snails at home was more than a way for 28 fourth-graders to learn about science, it was also illegal.

The giant African snails, which can reach a length of 8 inches, can carry a parasite that causes meningitis in humans and are considered a danger to U.S. plants. Possessing or importing the snails without a federal permit is banned, said Tammy Leonard, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

So it was back to school for the snails, where they were seized this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Health officials stressed that no health problems had been reported, and the snails aren't believed to pose a health threat.

The concern is not only that the snails might carry a parasite, but also that they are chow hounds, known to eat at least 500 different types of plants. According to the USDA, the thousands of offspring of three snails smuggled into Florida by a boy in 1966 caused such problems that it took 10 years at a cost of $1 million to eradicate them.

The snails were a gift to the district from a former student, who got their forebears from a pet shop, said superintendent Kenneth Jandes.