WILLEMSTAD - It is urgent that legislation is introduced to prevent the further spread of the agate snail in Curaçao. This is according to the Member of Parliament Gisette Seferina. On the island there has been a huge increase in the agate snail, also known as African giant snail.
This is partly due to the heavy rainfall in recent days. Seferina says the increase in snails on the island is alarming.
Because snails like to be in highly planted areas, they are common in fruit and vegetable crops. Agate snails that live in the wild can carry various bacteria and parasites and thereby transmit various diseases such as meningitis.
The agate snail multiplies very quickly. Already in 2013 there were warnings about the large growth of this type of snail in Curaçao. But according to Seferina and other stakeholders, no policy has been made by the government to combat the animal. She wants to change that.