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ScienceQuiet 12d · day 13

Zoos build ark populations to save Britain's rarest snail from extinction

Conservationists move glutinous snails bred in a Welsh back garden into English zoos as a first step toward reintroduction.

newest coverage 11d agosummary written 12d ago12 pieces18 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • The glutinous snail (Myxas glutinosa), once widespread in UK waters, is now found in the wild only at Llyn Tegid in Wales, having gone extinct in England.
  • A single conservationist's decade of home breeding produced a captive population that now exceeds the entire known wild population.
  • English zoos, including Wingham Wildlife Park, are now taking captive-bred snails to set up backup 'ark' populations, a step toward eventual reintroduction to former UK sites.
  • The effort is part of a broader £60m UK government-backed scheme to protect rare species.

“You do these things on a wing and a prayer when you're trying to save something that's down to a single site and you're trying to fathom what it needs and how to save it.”

Ian Hughes, Conservationist · BBC News ↗ · Sep 10

Ian Hughes ConservationistBen Hughes Ian's son, helps rear the speciesSamantha Eden Assistant curator, Wingham Wildlife ParkBIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Coordinating body

Zoos build ark populations to save Britain's rarest snail from extinction
bbc.co.uk

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 5 pieces in 3h at Sep 11, 4 PM; 12 pieces over 13 days (7 articles · 5 posts) Sep 11, 4 PM — 5 pieces · 4 articles · 1 post — Newswires 3, Google News 1, Mastodon 1Sep 11, 7 PM — quietSep 11, 10 PM — quietSep 12, 1 AM — 4 pieces · 2 articles · 2 posts — Newswires 2, Mastodon 2Sep 12, 4 AM — quietSep 12, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 12, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 12, 1 PM — quietSep 12, 4 PM — quietSep 12, 7 PM — quietSep 12, 10 PM — quietSep 13, 1 AM — quietSep 13, 4 AM — quietSep 13, 7 AM — quietSep 13, 10 AM — quietSep 13, 1 PM — quietSep 13, 4 PM — quietSep 13, 7 PM — quietSep 13, 10 PM — quietSep 14, 1 AM — quietSep 14, 4 AM — quietSep 14, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Sep 14, 10 AM — quietSep 14, 1 PM — quietSep 14, 4 PM — quietSep 14, 7 PM — quietSep 14, 10 PM — quietSep 15, 1 AM — quietSep 15, 4 AM — quietSep 15, 7 AM — quietSep 15, 10 AM — quietSep 15, 1 PM — quietSep 15, 4 PM — quietSep 15, 7 PM — quietSep 15, 10 PM — quietSep 16, 1 AM — quietSep 16, 4 AM — quietSep 16, 7 AM — quietSep 16, 10 AM — quietSep 16, 1 PM — quietSep 16, 4 PM — quietSep 16, 7 PM — quietSep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 1 AM — quietSep 17, 4 AM — quietSep 17, 7 AM — quietSep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 1 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quiet 1
Sep 12Sep 13Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22now · 8:50 AM ET
  1. background

    English zoos begin taking captive-bred snails to form ark populations — The Hughes family, working with BIAZA, started relocating snails bred in their garden to wildlife parks across England; Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent collected 24 snails for new breeding ponds, part of a wider £60m UK government-backed rare species scheme.

  2. 1

    BBC publishes account of the conservation effort

    BBC News reported on the Hughes family's decade-long project and the zoo relocation scheme, describing the snail as one of Europe's rarest species.

    “Beguiled by their cuteness…”
    — Ian Hughes, Conservationist · source
    • thenorfolkcoast@ecoevo.social

      Zoos help to save snail, Myxas glutinosa, found in only one lake in Wales. The snails, which feed on algae & are considered an indicator of healthy lakes and rivers, have been driven to extinction across England... https://www. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1j4ng r05l8o

      thenorfolkcoast@ecoevo.socialMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
    • druid@toot.wales

      BBC News: Battle to save the tiny, gooey snail only found in one lake in the UK. # LlynTegid # Cymru # malwod # cadwraeth # snails https://www. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1j4ng r05l8o

      druid@toot.walesMastodon11d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  3. background

    Hughes builds concrete shelters and a home breeding population — Hughes installed small concrete refuges for the snails in the lake and set up a captive breeding population in a greenhouse at his home in Llanarth, Ceredigion, which grew to outnumber the known wild population.

  4. background

    Hughes discovers the snail's eggs for the first time — Hughes' research produced the first documented sighting of the species' eggs, a breakthrough he called essential to understanding how to save it.

  5. background

    Ian Hughes begins licensed monitoring of the snail — Under licence from Natural Resources Wales, Hughes started wading into Llyn Tegid to collect and study the glutinous snail, the species' last known UK wild refuge.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Battle to save the tiny, gooey snail only found in one lake in the UK

    first by BBC Science, 12d ago · also BBC

    1 more headline

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