Pea-Sized Snails Once Thought Extinct Released Back Into the Wild

A species of tiny snail, once believed extinct for over a century, has been successfully reintroduced into the wild. More than 1,300 Desertas Island land snails are being released on Bugio Island, part of Portugal’s Madeira Archipelago. Each snail has been carefully marked with infrared paint to allow conservationists to monitor their progress.

The journey to save these critically endangered snails began when conservationists discovered small populations surviving on the cliffs of Desertas Grande, a neighboring island. These populations were alarmingly small, with fewer than 200 individuals found in each group. Believed to be the last of their kind, the snails were transported to zoos in the UK and France, including Chester Zoo, to begin an ambitious breeding program.

At Chester Zoo, 60 snails were successfully bred in captivity for the first time. Dr. Gerardo Garcia, head of ectotherms at the zoo, described the immense challenge, saying, “We started with a blank slate, learning how to care for them, create a suitable environment, and encourage them to breed.” Thanks to these efforts, the species has been brought back from the brink of extinction.

The snails had originally been driven to near extinction by invasive species like goats, rats, and mice, which posed significant threats to their survival. Bugio Island was chosen for their release because it offers a safer habitat with fewer invasive predators.

This conservation milestone offers hope for the recovery of a species that had nearly disappeared from the planet. The marked snails will now be closely monitored to ensure their adaptation and survival in the wild.