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Milestone hit for critically endangered snail reintroductions

September 2, 2018

More than 10,000 conservation bred Polynesian tree snails have been provided for one of the world’s largest reintroduction initiatives.

On their way back from the brink of extinction

In a collaborative effort with BIAZA member zoos and other collections from around the world, more than 10,000 conservation bred Polynesian tree snails have been provided for one of the world’s largest reintroduction initiatives.

After nearly being wiped out in the 1980s by the introduced predatory rosy wolf snail (Euglandina rosea) – thousands of Partula snails have been reintroduced, thanks to the global breeding programme coordinated by ZSL London Zoo and involving Marwell Wildlife, Bristol Zoo, Chester Zoo, and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

With reintroductions taking place on the islands of Moorea and Tahiti in the Society Islands, this year’s export, for the first time ever, will also include a species that is currently extinct in the wild.

This release comes at a special time, as the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s expedition to the ‘South Seas’ sailed by on 26 August – during which the first ever Partula snail was collected on Raiatea, Society Islands and named Limax faba Martyn or ‘the Bean snail’, in 1784.

The CEO of BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums), Dr Kirsten Pullen, said: “The Partula story demonstrates how BIAZA zoos can become a powerhouse for conservation when working collaboratively.  The opportunities for the successful reintroduction of endangered species are dependent on cooperation between many different bodies including environmental agencies and the governments involved.  Zoos are a part of the jigsaw and provide the expertise in managing the populations of these snails back to sustainable levels.  The experiences our zoos have gained from this work can easily be applied to other species and situations”.  

The Partula snails represent a genus of air-breathing tropical land snails, specially adapted to live in different volcanic valleys across the archipelago. The genus contains 104 species, of which there are 15 species and subspecies in the conservation breeding programme.

Once abundant across the islands, many species of Partula were nearly wiped out in the 1980s and early 1990s after the rosy wolf snail was introduced to rid the island of a previously-introduced alien species, the African giant land snail (Lissachatina fulica).  Unfortunately, the predatory rosy wolf snail preferred the tiny natives.