Saint Louis Zoo helps reintroduce snail species once extinct in wild

ST. LOUIS – A snail species once declared extinct in the wild has made a remarkable return after decades of help from the Saint Louis Zoo.

The conservation efforts reached a historic milestone last month with officials learning of the first wild-born Partula snail ( Partula tohiveana ) since the species went extinct in the wild in the 1980s.

In 1990, Saint Louis Zoo joined a global effort to prevent the tiny snails from going extinct for good. Zoos worldwide worked to reintroduce zoo-raised snails to their native island homes in French Polynesia, recognizing their importance in maintaining biodiversity and a delicate ecosystem.

Last month, a St. Louis zookeeper traveled to Tahiti to help care for, release and monitor the behavior of the snails. A conservation team later discovered an unmarked Partula tohivean, proof that the species successfully bred in the area.

“This discovery is a testament to the importance of zoos in conservation around the world,” said Kayla Garcia, Saint Louis Zoo Zoological Manager of Invertebrates. “We have dedicated thousands of staff and volunteer hours over decades to saving these highly endangered snails. We are proud that all our work and the tireless efforts of our collaborators have made this reintroduction into the wild possible.”

Conservationists will now begin the process of downlisting the snails from extinct-in-the-wild to critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

The Saint Louis Zoo says it began releasing zoo-raised snails into the wild in 2015.

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