Battle to save the tiny, gooey snail only found in one lake in the UK
Conservationists are working to save the glutinous snail, a species found in only one UK lake, by establishing ark populations in several British zoos. Ian Hughes, who has bred the snails in his garden, is collaborating with wildlife parks to relocate the creatures as part of a government-backed restoration scheme. The project aims to restore the species to the wild after it was driven to extinction in England due to pollution and habitat loss.
- ▪The glutinous snail is currently only found in Llyn Tegid in Wales, having gone extinct in England due to water pollution and habitat loss.
- ▪Ian Hughes has successfully bred the snails in his garden and is working with BIAZA to move them to zoos in England.
- ▪The conservation effort is part of a £60m UK government-backed scheme to protect rare species.
- ▪Zoos including Dudley, Chester, and Askham Bryan are setting up facilities to breed the snails and study their environmental needs.
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| Publication time | Fri, 11 Sep 2026 21:38:15 GMT |
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Battle to save the tiny, gooey snail only found in one lake in the UKImage source, Dudley ZooImage caption, The glutinous snail was once widespread in the UK, but is now only found in one Welsh lakeBySteffan MessengerWales environment correspondentPublished5 minutes agoA tiny snail found in only one lake in the UK has been dubbed as precious as an Egyptian artefact as conservationists bid to save it.Several British zoos are setting up so-called ark populations of the glutinous snail, one of Europe's rarest species, using creatures bred in a back garden in Ceredigion."Beguiled by their cuteness," conservationist Ian Hughes has made it his "life-defining" mission to protect the threatened mollusc, which was once widespread in UK waters."There was a point where we'd got more snails in our…
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