THOUSANDS of extremely rare Partula snails bred at Edinburgh Zoo are to be released into the wild in French Polynesia to help restore the population there.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has been part of a collaborative initiative helping to bring the species back from the brink since 1984.
Ahead of the 15,000km (9320-mile) journey, the tiny nocturnal snails have been individually marked with a dot of yellow UV reflective paint by RZSS teams.
This means they will glow under UV torchlight and help conservationists monitor the populations at night, when the creatures are most active.
READ MORE: Two Scottish wildcats bred in captivity found dead after release
Jo Elliot, curator at RZSS, said: “It is extremely exciting to be able to send some of our Partula snails, which we have been breeding for years, to be reintroduced directly back into their native habitat.
“We are extremely proud to be part of this vital collaborative breeding project, which is giving this incredible species a significant boost.
“Our success within the Partula snail programme is owed to the teams who began the work here at Edinburgh Zoo many years ago and to those who now form the wider project partnership, working to ensure this initiative goes from strength to strength.
“This is a really wonderful conservation success story and further demonstrates the critical role zoos can play in species recovery.”
The snails left Edinburgh Zoo on Tuesday and will be flown to Tahiti.
It comes after snails bred at Edinburgh Zoo were released in French Polynesia last year as part of the project.
Partula snails were under imminent threat of extinction in the 1980s and early 1990s after the invasive predatory rosy wolf snail was introduced to rid the islands of a previously introduced non-native species, the African giant land snail.
READ MORE: Family-run luxury candle company opens for business on Isle of Arran
Unfortunately, the predatory rosy wolf snail targeted the endemic Partula snails instead, meaning many were lost and the species was left close to extinction shortly after the arrival of the predators.
The last few surviving individuals of several Partula species were rescued in the early 1990s by RZSS and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in order to begin the international conservation breeding programme – a collaboration between 15 zoos which care for 15 species and sub-species.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here