Greater Bermuda land snails are thriving again after captive-breeding efforts

Conservationists bred and released more than 10,000 greater Bermuda land snails into protected habitats over seven years, and teams report confirmed breeding and growing numbers.

Greater Bermuda land snails appear to be thriving again after a multi-year conservation effort. A decade ago, the only known surviving population was found living in an alleyway in Hamilton on damp concrete. Conservationists bred the snails in captivity and released more than 10,000 into protected wooded habitats across the archipelago over seven years. The effort involved Chester Zoo, Biolinx Environmental Research and the government of Bermuda. Key details: - More than 10,000 snails were released across 27 sites over seven years; reintroductions succeeded on six offshore islands while many main-island releases failed to establish. - Teams have confirmed breeding in the wild and report that population numbers are starting to build at successful sites. - The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists P. bermudensis as critically endangered. A study documenting the program's success will be published in Oryx. - Reported threats include habitat loss and invasive predators such as rats, feral domestic chickens, predatory flatworms that arrive in potted plants, and invasive snail species. - Nonsuch Island is highlighted as an especially successful reintroduction site with limited public access and active non-native species control. Summary: The reintroduction program has returned breeding populations of P. bermudensis to parts of Bermuda and restored their role in local ecosystems as decomposers and a source of calcium for native wildlife. Officials say continued diligence, predator control and monitoring will be required to keep the reintroduced colonies safe, and Bermuda has used measures such as predator birth control and awareness campaigns. A formal study of the program's outcomes will appear in Oryx.