Girl Scouts Warn of Dangerous Snails

When you release a pet into the wild, the effects it will have on the environment could be more dangerous than you realize.

That’s the message that Girl Scouts Becky Jordan, Vivi Landall and Hayley Fleming of Senior Troop 737 hope comes across at Scout Park.

The girls, all Temple Terrace 14-year-olds, completed their Silver Award Project by posting a sign at the park warning passersby about an invasive species called the Channeled Apple Snail.

“Also known as the Golden Apple Snail, this creature lives along the banks of the Hillsborough River, posing a danger to the local ecosystem,” they said.

The snails eat native plants that help keep the water healthy.

The sign was dedicated on Sept. 26.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that we can do about apple snails,” Hayley said. “What we really wanted to do is make people learn about the dangers of endangered species so that they understand not to release pets into the wild. We thought the apple snail was a perfect way to do this because they became a danger after people released them from their fish tanks.”