Collaboration between zoos sees largest release of extinct-in-the-wild Partula snails in history

A global conservation effort to reintroduce a tiny snail to the wild is celebrating a momentous milestone, as for the first time in 40 years, conservationists have found born-in-the-wild adult Partula tohiveana – meaning the precious molluscs have successfully established themselves in French Polynesia.

During the annual reintroduction of the zoo-bred Extinct in the Wild and Critically Endangered snails to their French Polynesian island home –  which this year saw zoos around the world restore over 6,000 snails to Moorea – the team, led by ZSL’s Senior Curator of Invertebrates & Fish and Partula project coordinator, Paul Pearce-Kelly, found unmarked Partula tohiveana: proof that previously reintroduced snails have successfully bred in the area.

The momentous discovery means Partula tohiveana can now be considered as established – an incredibly rewarding result for 40 years of dedication and collaboration. Conservationists will now begin the process of downlisting the snails from Extinct-in-the-Wild to Critically Endangered on the IUCN’s Red List.

Ten species and sub-species of the tropical snails, reared at Edinburgh Zoo, London Zoo, Bristol Zoological Society, Detroit Zoological Society, Marwell Wildlife, Saint Louis Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo and Zoo Schwerin, travelled more than 15,000km to Tahiti at the beginning of September. Before making the two-day journey to the islands of Tahiti, Moorea and Huahine, the incredibly rare snails, which each measure a tiny 1-2cm in length, were individually counted and marked with a dot of red UV reflective paint. The ‘snail varnish’ glows under UV torchlight, helping conservationists in the field to spot and monitor the nocturnal snails at night, when they’re most active.

Jo Elliot, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Curator, said, “It is extremely exciting to be able to send over 2,500 of our Partula snails, which we have been breeding at Edinburgh Zoo for 40 years, to be reintroduced directly back into their native habitat. 

"As a wildlife conservation charity, we are proud to be part of this vital collaborative breeding project, which is giving this incredible species a significant boost. Our success within the Partula snail programme is owed to the teams who began the work here at Edinburgh Zoo many years ago and to those who now form the wider project partnership, working to ensure this initiative goes from strength to strength. This is a really wonderful conservation success story and further demonstrates the critical role zoos play in species recovery.”