A group of conservationists has released more than 1,300 critically endangered snails into a remote Atlantic island. The project saw two species of Desertas Island land snails successfully reintroduced to their natural habitat after being declared extinct. Their decline is associated with the destruction of their habitat on the Deserta Grande island. Rats, goats, and mice brought by humans had destroyed the island’s vegetation, leading to the species’ perceived extinction. However, conservationists discovered 200 of the tiny animals surviving on the rocky cliffs of the island. The snails were placed in the care of UK and French zoos, including Chester Zoo, where they were bred.
The breeding programme at Chester Zoo brought about 1,329 snail offspring into existence. Later, the newborns were reportedly marked with a “colour code”, using non-toxic pens and nail varnish. Finally, they were taken and brought back into their natural environment, where they were released. Dinarte Teixeira, a conservation biologist at Madeira’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, explained that these identification dots would help them track the snails’ growth and survival in their new environment.
The Desertas land snails are endemic to the southeast of Madeira Island, but their habitat was destroyed by rats, mice and goats introduced to it by humans. Bugio, a smaller neighbouring island in the Ilhas Desertas (Desert Islands) archipelago, was chosen as the ideal place to sustain the habitat for the reintroduced snails. The area is a nature reserve, and conservationists have already eradicated invasive species on the island. A successful reintroduction of this endangered species is an exciting achievement, according to Gerardo Garcia from Chester Zoo.
The snails are an essential part of the natural habitat, breaking down organic matter and fertilizing the soil. With the snails now reintroduced into their natural habitat, it is possible that the plants and wildlife they depend on will flourish. Moreover, if the reintroduction project proves to be successful, more snails will continue to be released into this new habitat in the future. This successful project demonstrates that effective conservation can bring some of the planet’s most endangered creatures back from the brink of extinction.
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