1,300 tiny endangered snails released on remote Atlantic island

The Desertas Island land snails are about the size of a pea

More than a thousand critically endangered snails have been released on a remote island off the coast of Morocco.

The tiny Desertas Island land snails were previously thought to be extinct after no sightings were recorded for more than a century.

However, a small number were discovered and conservation experts across Europe were able to successfully breed them.

They have now been reintroduced to Bugio Island, a small protected island in the North Atlantic.

What's happened?

The snails are native to the Desertas Islands, in the north Atlantic

The pea-sized snails were thought to be extinct until conservationists discovered a small population of two species of the molluscs on Deserta Grande island, close to Madeira, in 2017.

The snails were brought to zoos in the UK and France, including Chester Zoo and Bristol Zoological Society, where experts set about creating the right conditions to increase their numbers.

After several months, their efforts were a success and both species were successfully bred for the first time in human care.

Now, 1,329 snails have been reintroduced to Bugio Island, which neighbours Deserta Grande island.

Every snail has been individually colour marked so they can be carefully monitored on the island.

The small protected island in the North Atlantic was chosen because invasive species such as goats, mice and rats, which almost hunted the snails to extinction, have been removed.

Experts say they're delighted with how conservation efforts have gone.

Gerardo Garcia, from Chester Zoo explained: "When the snails first arrived in Chester the very future of the species was in our hands.

"These snails really were on the edge of extinction and the fact that we've now been able to give them a chance of making a comeback is testament to the efforts of many people," he added.

Experts say that if the reintroduction proves successful, then many more snails will join them in the future, to help give the species a further boost.