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Rare snails found in just one UK lake lay eggs on way to zoo

A glutinous snail in a tank in Dudley Zoo. The small, brown mollusc, flecked with spots of gold slithers across a surface covered in green algae.DUDLEY ZOO

A rare snail found in one lake in the UK has laid eggs on a journey from Wales to a zoo in Kent.

The glutinous snail disappeared in England and is now believed to be surviving naturally in just one lake in Wales.

But a national effort from conservationists and wildlife parks in England are giving the tiny creature new hope.

After Wingham Wildlife Park near Canterbury collected some of the wild population, their breeding efforts began earlier than expected.

The glutinous snail is a thought to be Europe's rarest freshwater snail.

Myxas glutinosa gets its name from the goo that covers its delicate shell.

The tiny mollusc is no bigger than a fingertip.

The snails, which feed on algae became extinct in England partly due to polluted water and habitat loss.

They are only now found in Llyn Tegid, a lake in Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia.

After conservationist Ian Hughes successfully bred some of the snails in captivity, the snails are now being taken to wildlife parks across England.

Along with Askham Bryan Wildlife Park in York and Longleat in Wiltshire and Dudley and Chester zoos, Wingham Wildlife Park was one of the places taking part in the scheme.

Two members of staff in polo shirts bend down to examine an algae filled jar with lots of snails in it.

When Samantha Eden from Wingham Wildlife Park collected the snails from Ian Hughes' home in Wales she didn't realise how quickly their population would increase.

"I brought 24 snails back from Wales at the start of July," she said.

"It was a six hour drive, and by the time I'd arrived back at the park I had about 12 egg pods in the carry containers that we were using. They'd laid eggs literally whilst we were driving."

The snails are now settled in their new home.

"We've got a new facility that we've set up for them - three beautiful ponds where we're going to be breeding them, learning about them and understanding a little bit more about their environmental needs," she told BBC News.

The plan is for the snails to eventually be reintroduced into the wild, in the hope that glutinous snails will once again live in England's lakes and rivers.