Park is on trail of rare snail (From This is Hampshire)

Marwell Wildlife breeding eight species of rare snails

2:00pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Gazette By Joanne Mace

IN A battle to save Partula snails, Marwell Wildlife is now breeding a further four species.

The charity introduced Partula snails (Partula faba) to their collection five years ago. Marwell has now increased its breeding programme to include eight species of the snail, which are either extinct in the wild or critically endangered.

More than 800 snails are currently on view in the park, near Winchester.

Geoff Read, Marwell’s herptile and invertebrates manager, said: “These snails desperately need our help.

“They have gone into precipitous decline in recent years as they have suffered massively from habitat loss and the introduction of a carnivorous snail.

“However, The International Partula Conservation Progra-mme has plans to re-introduce the snails into the wild, so there could be hope for the future.”

In the wild, the snails were found only on islands in the Pacific Ocean, ranging over 8,000km from Palau to the Society Islands in French Polynesia.

This year, conservationists will be releasing snails into reserves on the islands.

They will then be closely monitored until they are released into the wild to fend for themselves.

Great care has to be taken to look after the snails.

Geoff explained: “It’s vital that our snails are kept in the correct heat and humidity and strict sterilisation routines are put in place.

“It is so important, particularly as we have 50 per cent of the world’s population for some Partula species.

“And for the new arrivals, we have one third of the world’s population.

“It’s a lot of responsibility that has to be taken very seriously.”