<
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-reintroduce-5000-snails-to-french-polynesian-islands-180982094/>
"Thousands of snails traveled more than 9,300 miles in an airplane to reach the
islands of Moorea and Tahiti last month. But the gastropods weren’t visiting
for a tropical vacation in French Polynesia. Instead, they had an important job
to do: restoring balance to the islands’ delicate ecosystems.
The jet-setting creatures are species of
Partula snails, also known as
Polynesian tree snails, that are extinct in the wild and critically endangered.
For the last three decades, scientists and conservationists at zoos in the
United Kingdom and the United States have been working tirelessly to bring them
back from the brink of disappearance. And their efforts have been paying off:
Nine years ago, teams began slowly reintroducing Partula snails into the wild.
The most recent reintroduction, which took place in April, is believed to be
the largest wild release of any extinct-in-the-wild species ever, as it
involved more than 5,000 snails, according to a statement from the nonprofit
Zoological Society of London, which helps coordinate the conservation efforts.
Zookeepers and veterinarians at the London Zoo, the Whipsnade Zoo, the Royal
Zoological Society of Scotland and the Saint Louis Zoo raised the snails in
captivity ahead of their release.
“This was a win for the ongoing conservation efforts of these highly endangered
snails,” says Kayla Garcia, zoological manager of invertebrates at the Saint
Louis Zoo, in the statement."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-respiratory-diseases-labour-bangladesh-conservation-bolivia/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
