Battle to save the tiny, gooey snail only found in one lake in the UK
Summary
The glutinous snail, a tiny and rare snail once common in the UK, is now only found in one lake in Wales. Conservationists and several British zoos are working to protect and breed this snail to prevent it from disappearing completely.Key Facts
- The glutinous snail has a gooey covering on its small, delicate shell and large antennae.
- It used to live widely in the UK but is now extinct in England due to pollution and habitat loss.
- The last known home of the snail is Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales.
- Conservationist Ian Hughes has bred about 2,000 snails in homemade tanks and created shelters for them in the lake.
- The snails eat algae and indicate healthy lakes and rivers.
- The Hughes family is involved in protecting the snail, including breeding it in captivity.
- British zoos, supported by a UK government scheme, plan to relocate some snails to wildlife parks to help restore their numbers in the wild.
- This effort is part of a £60 million program to protect rare species in the UK.
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