Snails bred in Edinburgh Zoo sent to re-populate species in French Polynesia

Thousands of rare partula snails bred at Edinburgh Zoo are to be released in French Polynesia to restore the wild population of the species.

The last surviving few of the species were rescued in the early 1990s by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the Zoological Society of London as part of an international conservation programme.

Ahead of the journey, the group of around 2,500 snails were marked with yellow reflective paint which glows under UV torchlight, identifying them to conservationists at night when they are most active.

This comes following the release of more than 5,000 partula snails in 2023, thought to be the largest reintroduction in history.

Royal Zoological Society curator, Jo Elliot, said the reintroduction of the snails would give "this incredible species a significant boost".

She said: “It is extremely exciting to be able to send some of our partula snails, which we have been breeding for years, to be reintroduced directly back into their native habitat.

“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 can play in species recovery.”

The source group to begin re-populating the islands was gathered by RZSS and ZSL in collaboration with 15 zoos which care for 15 species and sub-species, the majority of which are classed as extinct in the wild.