HONOLULU (KHON2) — A rare Hawaiian snail species was given another chance at life after DLNR Snail Extinction Prevention Program officials released the first batch on Oahu.
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The DLNR partnered with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Division of Forestry and Wildlife to return Achatinella fuscobasis to the wild after more than 33 years in captivity.
5 ʻalalā reintroduced to wild on Maui reserve
The first batch was reintroduced into the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve of the Ko‘olau Mountains after becoming extinct from the Hawaiian landscape in 1991.
UH researcher Dr. Michael Hadfield collected eleven individuals from the only known populations to help “rebound more than 1,000 individuals in captivity at the SEPP lab in Pearl City.
Our snails are true public-trust jewels of nature and culture. They are drivers of ecosystem function, collectively cleaning and cycling nutrients in the forest. They have deep ties to Hawaiian tradition with revered significance in chant, hula and lei making. They are also just really cute.
Dr. David Sischo, SEPP Coordinator