切斯特动物园成功拯救濒危马德拉陆地蜗牛

切斯特动物园的保护专家成功培育了300只濒危的马德拉陆地蜗牛，这些蜗牛源自葡萄牙布吉奥岛岩石上仅存的21只个体 1。动物园的无脊椎动物助理团队经理塔玛斯·帕普表示："我们知道只有一次机会来拯救它们。如果错过这次机会，它们就会永远消失。" 1

这些蜗牛体型极小，不超过8毫米 1，在生态系统中发挥重要作用——通过食用植被来改善土壤 1。在克服恶劣天气和危险的悬崖条件后，专家们将培育的蜗牛安全地放回了马德拉群岛的自然栖息地 1。这次保护工作是在马德拉政府的请求下进行的 1。

Conservation experts at Chester Zoo have successfully bred 300 near-extinct Madeiran land snails and returned them to their natural habitat in the Madeira archipelago 1. The breeding initiative began after just 21 of these snails were discovered clinging to a rock on Portugal's Bugio Island, representing the only remaining wild population of the species 1.

The snails, which measure no larger than 8 millimeters in size, play an important ecological role by consuming vegetation and enriching the soil 1. According to Tamas Papp, assistant team manager for invertebrates at Chester Zoo, the operation was critical: "We knew we had one shot to save them. If we missed this chance, that was it: they were gone" 1. The Madeira government had requested the zoo's expertise to undertake the conservation effort 1, and staff overcame severe weather and treacherous cliff conditions to safely release the bred snails back into the wild 1.