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100,000 Snails Released: Bermuda's Extinct Species Returns
7 Feb
Summary
- Over 100,000 greater Bermuda snails bred and released.
- A remnant population was discovered in an alleyway in 2014.
- Conservation efforts involved international scientists and zoos.
The greater Bermuda snail (Poecilozonites bermudensis), once feared extinct, is now thriving thanks to a decade-long international conservation initiative. A small population was rediscovered in a damp alleyway in Hamilton, Bermuda, in 2014. This discovery sparked a collaborative effort involving scientists, the Bermudian government, and Chester zoo.
Thousands of snails were bred at Chester zoo in specially designed pods, adapting husbandry techniques to encourage multiplication. Since 2019, over 100,000 captive-bred snails have been reintroduced to protected wooded habitats across Bermuda. These sites are shielded by biosecurity measures to guard against invasive predators like wolf snails and flatworms.
Population assessments indicate the species is now well-established in six locations. This remarkable recovery was celebrated on IUCN's 'reverse the red day'. The snails play a vital role in Bermuda's ecosystem, serving as prey and consuming vegetation, thus aiding nutrient cycling.
Chester zoo is now focusing efforts on breeding another rare native species, the lesser Bermuda land snail (Poecilozonites circumfirmatus).
