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A button-sized snail once feared extinct has officially been saved after British conservationists successfully bred and released more than 100,000 individuals back into the wild.

The greater Bermuda snail (Poecilozonites bermudensis) was believed to have disappeared entirely until a small surviving population was rediscovered in an alleyway in Bermuda’s capital, Hamilton, about a decade ago.

Following an international conservation effort, the species has now been confirmed as safe and secure, a moment experts involved have described as “once in a career”.

The milestone was announced on Reverse the Red Day on 7 February, which highlights global efforts to reverse biodiversity loss and ecosystem damage. The achievement is the result of a partnership between the government of Bermuda, a conservation researcher from the Canada-based organisation Biolinx Environmental Research, and Chester Zoo, where thousands of snails were bred before being returned to the island.

Tamas Papp, Invertebrates Assistant Team Manager at Chester Zoo, said: “It’s every conservationist’s dream to help save a whole species – and that’s exactly what we’ve done. The greater Bermuda snail is tiny, but this is one of the biggest success stories in conservation. This scientific confirmation that we’ve saved them is testament to the role zoos can play in preventing extinction, and in the power of collaboration, and is something everyone involved will carry in their heart.”

Six colonies of the snails have now become established across Bermuda, an archipelago in the north Atlantic Ocean about 600 miles from the nearest mainland. Their success has been confirmed by an assessment of how the populations are faring, which is due to be published in Oryx: The International Journal of Conservation.

Dr Mark Outerbridge, a wildlife ecologist at Bermuda’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, added: “It has been extremely gratifying to be involved with this reintroduction programme and to see these snails back in Bermuda’s ecosystem again. It is remarkable to think we only began with less than 200 snails and have now released over 100,000.”

To boost numbers, a group of snails was sent to Chester Zoo, where specialist keepers and scientists attempted to breed them in controlled conditions before returning them to the wild. The zoo’s team developed specially designed pods and carefully reintroduced the snails into protected woodland habitats.

Gerardo Garcia, Animal & Plant Director at Chester Zoo, said the results had exceeded expectations.

“The fact the snails are firmly established in six areas is massive. These were not the only sites chosen for the introductions, but they are the ones where the colonies are growing and expanding in range. That itself is really important information, because not much was known about p. bermudensis.”

By adapting existing snail husbandry techniques, keepers identified the best conditions for the species to breed. Their work has now informed the first conservation breeding guide for the greater Bermuda snail.

“They nearly vanished, so being able to say the snails are now safe from extinction is amazing. It’s an incredibly good feeling to make a huge difference for a species, and something conservationists might get to say only once in their whole career,” Dr Garcia said.

“It is very rare for a team to be able to announce that, having brought animals into human care and released them, their work is done.”
Snails are among the least studied animals globally and are also some of the most vulnerable to extinction. In Bermuda, native snail species have been hit by habitat loss and climate change, with their decline accelerated by the introduction of predatory wolf snails and carnivorous flatworms, which preyed on the much smaller native species. This had knock-on effects across the wider ecosystem.

Dr Kristiina Ovaska from Biolinx Environmental Research indicated that it was important to save the snails as they play a crucial ecological role.

“Bringing back the snails into their natural habitats is important for the conservation of this species and is part of restoring damaged ecosystems. The snails function both as prey for larger animals and as consumers of live and decaying vegetation, so they are vital for turning over nutrients within their habitat.”

The reintroduction programme was carefully planned, with release sites selected and closely monitored. Dr Garcia likened the process to “a war game”, with expanding populations tracked on maps using flags.

The long-term recovery of the species is closely linked to wider habitat restoration projects being carried out by the Bermudian government. The success of the project now allows the Chester Zoo team to focus on another threatened species, the lesser Bermuda land snail (Poecilozonites circumfirmatus).

While climate change and environmental pressures could still affect the newly established populations, conservationists say they are now confident they know how to reinforce numbers quickly if needed.

The work has already drawn international recognition.

Ruth Davis OBE, the UK’s Special Representative for Nature, said: “Bringing Greater Bermuda snails back from the brink of extinction is a remarkable achievement. This an example of not only brilliant conservation science, but what is possible when we collaborate across borders to restore nature and reverse biodiversity loss.”