Tiny Bermuda Snail Rescued From Extinction by UK Zoos

A snail species that disappeared from Bermuda has been saved from extinction by conservationists who refused to give up hope.

The greater Bermuda land snail hadn't been seen for years until 2014, when someone spotted a small cluster of shells slowly moving through an alleyway in Hamilton, Bermuda's capital. Some of those snails were flown to Chester Zoo in England, where experts began an ambitious breeding program that would span five years.

Unique to Bermuda, this tiny mollusk traces its lineage back more than a million years. The snails faced serious threats from habitat loss, pesticides, and an invasive predator called the wolf snail that literally eats other snails.

By 2019, Chester Zoo and London Zoo had bred thousands of the snails and released them back into Bermuda's wild. Now, seven years later, researchers have confirmed that six colonies are thriving on the archipelago.

"The fact that the snails are firmly established in six areas is massive," said Gerardo Garcia, animal and plant director at Chester Zoo. At the program's peak, keeper Katie Kelton cared for around 60,000 snails, which meant "a lot of chopping lettuce, sweet potato and carrot."

Garcia described the rescue operation as "a war game," with growing populations tracked by flags pinned across a map of Bermuda. While the species isn't safe forever, conservationists now know exactly how to rebuild the population quickly if needed.

The Ripple Effect

The success has inspired the zoos to tackle an even harder challenge: saving the lesser Bermuda land snail. These even tinier snails may already be extinct in the wild, but expert Iri Gill says their experience points them "in the right direction."

The greater Bermuda snail's recovery depends on ongoing nature regeneration projects by Bermuda's government. When habitat improves, the snails can truly flourish.

"These snails are tiny, but this has been one of the biggest success stories in conservation," Gill said. For conservationists, getting to say a species is safe from extinction might happen only once or twice in an entire career.

A million-year-old species is getting a second chance thanks to dedicated experts and a lot of chopped vegetables.