In Hokitika, New Zealand, nearly 2,000 giant native snails are living in special fridges after their home was destroyed by mining.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) has spent over $400,000 in the past four years to care for these rare Powelliphanta augusta snails and restore their original habitat on the West Coast.
The snails were first moved in 2006 when a mining company, Solid Energy, took over their home on Mt Augustus. When Solid Energy went bankrupt in 2015, the care of the snails continued under DOC. Now, Bathurst Resources runs the mine, while DOC keeps the snails safe in cool, leaf-filled containers.
Some critics say the money could be better used elsewhere, but DOC defends the cost, saying it’s similar to what they spend on other endangered animals. The snails are as rare as the kākāpō, a well-known endangered bird in New Zealand.
So far, about 10,000 snails and eggs have been returned to the wild, but the process is slow. These snails grow slowly and can live up to 30 years. Their tiny original habitat—just 10 hectares—was almost completely mined, but parts are now being replanted with native plants to help the snails survive.
DOC is also learning new things about the snails, like how they lay eggs, which had never been seen before. The goal is to release most of the snails into the wild within the next five years.
