Detroit Zoo helps send 500 rare snails back to Tahiti after 37-year effort

Hundreds of tiny snails are journeying over 5,000 miles from Michigan to Tahiti. This release is part of a long-running international conservation program for endangered native snails. Invasive predators had caused severe population collapses for these unique mollusks in their native islands. The Detroit Zoo has been breeding and caring for these snails since 1989. This ongoing effort has successfully returned over 17,000 snails to their natural habitat.