Australia successfully reintroduces ‘extinct’ glass snail to norfolk island after captive breeding program

In a remarkable conservation success story, researchers in Australia have brought Campbell’s keeled glass-snail back from the brink of extinction through an innovative breeding and reintroduction program. The tiny species, officially still listed as extinct on the IUCN Red List, was rediscovered in 2020 when scientists found a small surviving population in a sheltered rainforest valley on Norfolk Island, located in the South Pacific.

The discovery prompted an ambitious collaboration between the Australian Museum, Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, Norfolk Island National Park, and Western Sydney University. Starting in 2021, teams at Taronga Zoo began the delicate work of breeding the snails in captivity, despite knowing virtually nothing about their life history, diet, or behavioral patterns. Through careful observation and meticulous record-keeping, the breeding program proved successful, growing from the original survivors to more than 800 individuals.

This June marked a historic milestone as researchers transported about 600 zoo-bred snails back to Norfolk Island for release into the wild. The reintroduction represents the first large-scale snail species reintroduction in Australian history, and early signs suggest the released population is thriving and reproducing naturally.

The project demonstrates how dedicated conservation efforts can reverse seemingly hopeless situations. While Campbell’s keeled glass-snail remains critically endangered in Australia, its population is now growing in its native habitat for the first time in decades, offering hope for this previously “extinct” species and serving as a model for similar conservation initiatives worldwide.