Chester Zoo returns hundreds of endangered snails to Atlantic island
Chester Zoo and French specialists at ZooParc de Beauval have released more than 570 endangered land snails onto Bugio island in the Madeiran archipelago. Chester Zoo bred over 300 descendants of Geomitra coronula after rescuing 21 of the rare molluscs found clinging to life beneath a single rock. ZooParc de Beauval contributed 270 specimens of Discula lyelliana. The Madeira government called in both zoos when the last known wild populations faced extinction. Feral goats, rabbits and mice had destroyed the islands' woodland over hundreds of years. With no natural drinking water, the mice turned to the snails, whose bodies are around 80 percent water, wiping out wild populations. The release aims to restore habitat and support biodiversity on land once grazed bare.
Captive breeding programs can pull species back from the edge of extinction and rebuild island ecosystems damaged by invasive animals.
Source: chesterzoo.org.
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