‘Extinct’ snails released back into the wild
By Rheanna Wachter
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — Zookeepers from the Saint Louis Zoo and three other institutions have released thousands of tropical snails into their French Polynesian island homes in an effort to reintroduce them into the wild.
Several species of Partula snails were bred in various zoos to reintroduce and keep the species alive, as several species are extinct in the wild.
Native to the South Pacific Islands, the snails experienced a decline when the predatory rosy wolf snails were introduced to the islands in the 1970s as a form of biological control.
In the 1980s, scientists noticed a rapid decline of Partula snails and in turn, zoos began to house the snails to assure population.
The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute has provided funding for staff, equipment for field surveys, the construction and monitoring of predator exclusion reserves, and reintroduction efforts.
“I am incredibly proud of the successful collaboration and teamwork both in the field and at home that went into seeing Partula reintroduced back into the wild for the first time since 2019,” said Saint Louis Zoo Zoological Manager of Invertebrates Kayla Garcia. This was a win for the ongoing conservation efforts of these highly endangered snails.”
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