Yahoo TV

STORY: ::Zoological Society of London

::September 2024

::A once-extinct snail species has been found

after four decades in French Polynesia

::Conservationists found them while

releasing zoo-bred Partula snails

::French Polynesia

Sam Aberdeen/Team leader for invertebrates/ London zoo

"To finally have a population of Partula tohiveana back out in the wild is an incredibly important moment for us as a team, and for me personally. I have been looking after these snails for ten years. We have members of the team that have been looking after them for up to 30 years. To finally have that dream realised of having populations that are wild-born is incredibly exciting for us."

The find, made during annual reintroduction of zoo-bred snails, confirmed that these once extinct in the wild species are now finally breeding in the wild, making them an established species.

Video released by the Zoological Society of London showed keepers preparing tiny snails for release into the wild and overlooking their reintroduction.

"To finally have a population of Partula tohiveana back out in the wild is an incredibly important moment for us as a team, and for me personally. I have been looking after these snails for ten years. We have members of the team that have been looking after them for up to 30 years. To finally have that dream realised of having populations that are wild born is incredibly exciting for us," said Sam Aberdeen, Team Leader for Invertebrates at the London Zoo.