Over 7,000 ‘Glow-in-the-Dark' Snails Return to Island Homes
By Conservation Correspondent
More than 7,000 Extinct in the Wild and Critically Endangered Partula snails have been released across four islands in French Polynesia—the largest reintroduction of the rare species to date.
The conservation team used a tiny white UV-reflective mark on each shell to help track the nocturnal molluscs after release.
During monitoring, the team made a significant breakthrough when they spotted an unmarked juvenile Partula varia — the first wild-born member of the species recorded in more than 30 years.
The find confirms that the snails are not only surviving in their native habitat but are now successfully breeding.
Conservationists also reported the first sighting of wild-born Partula tohiveana outside its original release area on Moorea. The discovery suggests the species is beginning to spread naturally, less than a year after its status on the IUCN Red List moved from Extinct in the Wild to Critically Endangered.
The work forms part of a long-running programme led by ZSL, which has coordinated almost 40,000 releases of Partula snails over the past decade with the support of conservation zoos in the UK, Europe and the United States.
Eleven species and subspecies travelled more than 15,000km from institutions including London and Whipsnade Zoos, Bristol Zoological Society, Detroit Zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and others.
London Zoo’s Senior Curator of Invertebrates, Paul Pearce-Kelly, said:
“This progress is decades in the making… today’s news is not only a moment of hope for these snails, but for nature and people globally.”
Polynesian tree snails play a crucial role in forest health, recycling nutrients and helping prevent disease spread.
Wild populations were devastated in the 1980s and 90s after invasive rosy wolf snails were introduced.
Visitors to London Zoo can see Extinct-in-the-Wild Partula snails at the Tiny Giants invertebrate house and learn more about ZSL’s global conservation programme.
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