Snails on ‘edge of extinction’ released into wild after UK breeding success
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A snail may have been saved from the “edge of extinction” after more than 1,300 born in a world-first breeding programme from the UK were released into the wild. The pea-sized Desertas Island land snail was once believed to have gone extinct after no sightings were recorded for more than a century, but conservationists from the UK and Madeira now hope to repopulate their North Atlantic home.
After two species of the snail were rediscovered on the rocky island of Desertas Granda in the Madeira archipelago, 60 out of less than 200 individuals were sent to Chester Zoo – where experts set about creating the right conditions for them to breed.
After several months, their efforts were a success and both species were successfully bred for the first time ever in human care. Armed with the perfect breeding conditions devised by Chester Zoo’s experts, more snails were then sent to the Bristol Zoological Society and Beauval Nature in France to further increase their population.
Now 1,329 snails bred through the programme have been sent to Bugio Island – where invasive species such as goats, mice and rats, which almost hunted them to extinction, have been removed. The snails reintroduced to the island have been given markings in infra-red paint so they can be identified and monitored.
