Zoo Saves Snails From Extinction With 21 Left on Earth

Twenty-one snails huddled beneath a rock on a remote Atlantic island were all that stood between a species and complete extinction.

Chester Zoo in England took on what staff called their trickiest rescue mission ever when French biologists discovered the last known Desertas Island land snails in the Madeiran archipelago. Invasive mice, goats, and rabbits had stripped the island bare, and thirsty mice turned the snails into their water source.

"By the time the Madeira government contacted us for help, the entire global population could fit inside a single petri dish," said Tamas Papp from Chester Zoo's Invertebrates Team. "We knew we had one shot to save them."

The zoo's breeding program worked. Staff carefully nurtured the 21 survivors into a thriving population of more than 300.

Getting the snails home proved almost as challenging as saving them. The team had to travel at night during a narrow weather window, using red spectrum torches because the island's rare seabirds are sensitive to artificial light. With no dock available, they carefully transported each pea-sized snail to cracks in the rocks where they could thrive.

Meanwhile, Madeiran conservationists prepared the island by removing all invasive species and restoring the habitat to pristine condition. Those same efforts also protect at-risk seabirds that share the island.

The Ripple Effect

These tiny snails punch above their weight in ecosystem health. They eat vegetation and enrich soil, creating conditions that support the broader restoration of fragile island habitats.

Chester Zoo is now building a network of conservation institutions to support the breeding program. They're establishing breeding centers in Madeira and working with local communities to secure the species' future.

Zoos across Europe have already answered the call to help with what conservationists hope will become a model for saving other endangered invertebrates.

One petri dish of survivors has become a conservation success story proving that no species is too small to save.