00:005,000 extinct in the wild and critically endangered tropical snails bred at conservation zoos across the world have been
00:07returned to their French Polynesian island homes, almost 30 years after they were wiped out by a human-introduced invasive
00:14species.
00:15The Portula snails, also known as Polynesian tree snails, were flown from the UK and the US over 15,000
00:23kilometers to the islands of Moria and Tahiti earlier this month.
00:26The Zoological Society of London reports this is the largest wild release of an extinct-in-the-wild species.
00:33The zoo's curator of invertebrates, Paul Pierce Kelly, explained that despite their small size, snails are of great cultural, ecological,
00:41and scientific importance.
00:43The Portula snails eat decaying plant tissue and fungi. They play an important role in maintaining the forest's health.
00:50Returning them back to the wild enables us to start restoring the ecological balance in these islands.
00:55Piers Kelly added,
00:57With nature across the world increasingly under threat, these little snails represent hope for the world's wildlife.
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