Conservation by Captive Breeding programmes

[ness]

As discussed on a previous thread there are occasionas when captive breeding can help a dying population, or one at risk of dying out.
Creatures who's population is declining can sometimes be saved by conservation efforts in preserving habitats and protecting the species through laws.
As already discussed these methods do not always work. A species in decline may die out no matter what people try to do to help, and with none collected for captive breeding there is nothing that anyone can do if the species becomes extinct in the wild.

The collection of endangered species is not to be taken lightly. Of course if we went out and collected rare species this may hasted the decline of the wild population, and establishing a thriving captive population is never garunteed. In short collection may help to wipe the species out.

Zoos collect and breed under carefully controlled programmes. They operate within the law, and liaise with the people who make these laws. They have the resources to study the species in order to get the best chance of keeping it in favourable conditions once collected.

The average person does not have the resources or contacts and special permissions necessary for this type of conservation programme.

So how would an organisation such as ourselves, or a group of us, go about getting involved?

I haven't a clue, but let's start somewhere.

* Establish a contact list of Malacologists, Entomologists, major conservation groups, zoologists, including those in the local areas of the species of interest.
* Do our own research about the species as far as we can, show that we have some knowledge and genuine interest.
* Research examples where captive bred conservation utilising the help of none-professsionals has helped a species.
* Suggest possible plans to propose to the groups - e.g. ways in which we may work together.
* Draft a letter and send.

There's bound to be obstacles, and captivity is not suitable for all species, or at least it can be very difficult to create acceptable environments for specialised species, but perhaps together with groups there may be solutions.


It is certainly a project not to be taken lightly!
What are your thoughts please?

[rosanna123]

i think it is a great idea, i have been thinking about this for a long time, i was going to offer my services to zoos for consevation programes, but i didnt know where to start and i was goning to wait till i had written my book first, thinking that then they would take more notice of me and be more willing to let me help out

[fabrizio]

It seems to me a sound and articulated program, Ness, I agree fully...
-I would be trying to contact any possibly intersted people, and could make some announce in the italian forum, I'm admin of.

Lots of details should be definied, of course, but starting is essential. As a city grows along times, such projects could develop by spurts and stops, but still develop, once started.

More and more people could join in the route, more and more knowledge and direct experience would pile up, more and more species would be introduced, and -what is more important- reproduced.
-A non-stop updating on-line board would advise anyone, what is the situation of this and that species, who is breeding it, how much specimens were born/died... if someone keeping the "A" species would suffer a failure with total loss, another member (stil keeping that species "A") will focus upon reproducing it, and widespread to another member (or the loser) when possible again.
-less-represented species would enjoy major efforts, until their CB populations will be grown enough.

-Having -whenever possibile- some "A" species kept from more than a single member, would put at least one of the group safe, in the case a illness should widespread at the site of the other "A"breeder ... De-localization would help to avoid these risks, too.
-And it's true either for captive, as for wild populations: if a single population, in a restrict area, suffer for some "natural" illness or even some locally developed natural enemies, the whole of the species risk to go lost, forever...

-Our great "merit" is that, we are in fact filling a gap: while interesting as "shells/precious objects", snails are too little esteemed as "animals", Living Beings; and despite abstract "protection" (and often so merely formal and uneffective), efforts for "active" conservation are still almost totally lacking.
Perhaps, these animals are less "attractive", than "endangered" Mammals or Lizards: the ones, zoological facilities engage in reproducing (and much, much less than it would be possible -and needed...)

-As in other fields, the interest of "common people", "privates", that nurture a direct interest and passion towards their occupation would prove really effective. Even if one single member succeed in reproducing a "never reproduced before" species, that would have an invaluable impact.

-Lucky for such a Project, we are debating not of huge Reptiles or un.manageable wild Mammals, nor of dangerous and hard-to-deal with animals...
-Most of snails are harmless, slow, little eating (even too little, sometimes) Beings, no huge foundings would be needed for any species (less you're planning to keep together dozens, hundreds of species!)
Most of them are very little, less than 1 cm the majority of extant species, so no vast room needed to accomodate several of them, nor large amount of foods to be purchased and provided for them...
-Something, really within the reach of a "average" person, after all...
_And try to think about dozen, then perhaps hundreds (...or even thousands, if such Culture will take a sound grip), of people engaged with reproducing a comparable number of -otherwise let to their "natural" Fate- Species!!
-We know really too few of many of them, to be realistic, as you Ness point out; yet this could be the time and the occasion, for all of the concerned people to try and change all of that...

-While it would be -paradoxically- more logical to breed "endangered" species first, it would be risky and hazardous, as you suggest, for anyone to cope with any of them, at least in the beginning, at the ignorance-state we are now.
-As for myself, I wouldn't become entrusted with such a species, it would be felt as too a heavy responsibility
(it goes without saying, however, that a "rare" species could be easy to rear and breed, while a "common" one, perhaps living 2 miles away from your home in the wild, could prove "difficult" in captivity...)

-But still, we don't need to begin that way.

-I mean, there are lot of (still) "common" species, from all over the World, none does care about (except that for void shell, of course), that could represent soon dozens of "new entries" in the Snail-breeding World.

-Risking of loss would be less "tragic", either as these species are still abundant, and for being them collected, anyway, for their "void shells"; or still worse, locally killed for being regarded as "crop pests" (any species is so, no matter if "native"!), or eaten, or wiped away by local building works and the like....

-What would really matter, for such a start, is the notice of ALL POSSIBLE LOCAL DATA, from collectors: that are the same data, after all, that are provided when a "serious" collector does buy a "void shell".
-That would enable us with something concrete to start with: we can learn about local climate, rains, type of soil and preferred habitat... and we wouldn't risk to put a tree-dweller, into a tank and an environment, fit for a humus-dweller!

(Here's an example, of such "data" -useful for us as well- provided for "collectors' shells specimens" (mostly in Japanese, but I translated and find useful, to manage my newly acquired Euhadra ?amaliae)
shell.kwansei.ac.jp/~shell/pic_book/data17/r001694.html

[rosanna123]

i personally think that one of the areas we should start (just because i feel this will be the easy way to get us started and understanding how it is all done) is with the tiger snails, their species are delicing alot in the wild and yet we are having to freeze eggs due to too many now being bred in captivity.

[fabrizio]

It could be a good idea Rosanna, yet the tiger population, having been CB for lots of generations, could prove not the fittest, to return and adapt to their originary habitat.

-It could be, in a certain way, like returning dogs (ex-wolves, that is), to wild wolf populations. Possible, and along times all would be adjusted again; but not "advantageous", in the short sight.

-And another issue, as it comes to "re-introductions", concerns possibility of some acquired disease, that could be brought in the wild populations.
-Luckly enough, there are local Achatina achatina factories; even if these are chiefly intended as a "food" sources, than for re-populating areas.
Anyway, such availability should ease collecting pressure upon wild local populations!
mollus.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/45/3/328

-Other species, not sought after as foods, are equally rarefacted, chiefly because of loss of habitat (the major cause anyhow); and being not of edible interest, no "farm" would ever be build to breed them!

[rosanna123]

ok, i didnt know that about the tigers,

[fabrizio]

(However, in the case of tigers (and others), a bounty of captive "races" are emerging, that is, a CB increase of Genetic-Diversity.
This too, is not to overlook: much "man-selected" animal races, as pigs, donkeys, cows and the like, are prized arnd regarded as an acquired part of natural "Biodiversity", despite their origin.

-And that's totally right, on a genetic viewpoint!

[fabrizio]

-Besides preserving "naturally given" Genetic Diversity, CB could help to increase it, as well!

-Any newly arising "type", shell morph (but even "behavioural type"), I do ever recommend to select and breed again, for "intrinsecal enrichment" it represents, and for genetic/scientific interest it could enclose...

[ness]

Fabrizio that's an interesting link about Tiger Snails, thank you.

MorningCoffee made a good start earlier with writing about the Brixton Market snails in London, drawing to attention the fact that Achatina achatina are declining, and therefore it would be favourable to trade in common snails, such as Achatina fulica to ease the strain on the Achatina achatina wild population.

In one way Tiger snails are a success story in terms of being captive bred. They were hard to breed at first, and still are not easy, but as you know there are now many a good number of breeding Tiger snails and an abundance of young.

It is true that they are smaller in size, but I suspect that may be a reaction to be confined, and not some problem in their genetics or even their overall health. It would be interesting to see if subsequent generations return to their normal huge size if released.

They are indeed an extremely important food source, and perhaps it has been this way for many centuries without impact on the Tiger population, so I wouldn't expect indiginous people to try to find another protein source. However local farming is an excellent idea.

Tiger snails have an appeal as the largest land snail. this in itself makes them special amongst snails in the eyes of many people, especially those who are not heavily interested in snails. Citing the plight of Tiger snails could be a way of creating interest in the plight of other (and of course just as deserving) endangered snails.

Fabrizio once again i think you are right, a start is needed. I can't devote as much time as I would like now, but as you say the more people who get involved the greater the momentum and knowledge.

If we can keep common snails from the same environment as the rare ones, perhaps we will be better able to set up a suitable environement for those rare snails?

[rosanna123]

if you would like i am a member of 5 other forums not including fabrizio's forum, i can post a link on them to this thread if that would help

[lee2211]

Sept 5, 2010 20:03:18 GMT rosanna123 said:

i personally think that one of the areas we should start (just because i feel this will be the easy way to get us started and understanding how it is all done) is with the tiger snails, their species are delicing alot in the wild and yet we are having to freeze eggs due to too many now being bred in captivity.

So why would that be a good place to start if we're being overrun with them?

Conservationalists are trying to stop local tribes eating them.

I don't think it's such a good idea to take them from a captive environment into a wild one. I think somehow it will overwhelm them, but maybe if we have enough there's more chance of a few surviving to adulthood. I mean, evolution did provide them with the ability to lay so many eggs to make sure more hatched succesfully.

Maybe someone can convince me, but I don't know, tigers just don't seem the right place to start.

[rosanna123]

i was just thinking it would be a good place to start so we could get to grips with how to do everything, as tigers numbers are declining in the wild and yet we are having to freeze eggs due the the amount we are now getting

[ness]

Righty, my apologies for not having any time for this so far this week, I've been back at work, back at my evening classes and have had kids things to sort. I'm sure many of you will know the feeling!
However I have been thinking about it and will now do a little digging to see if there is anything we can get involved with firsat on a local scale (sorry Fabrizio, I'm searching within the UK right now to start out, but perhaps you could find similar groups within Italy?)

Firstly there is the sad tail of this lovely little snail, all-but wiped out by the destrcution caused by the introduction of giant african snails into Polynesia.
So far it looks like there are several zoos within the UK (perhaps there's some in Italy) with this snail. They may not require or even condone outside help - i.e. private keepers, getting involved, but you never know.

www.bristolzoo.org.uk/partula-snail

Perhaps these zoos may be able to advise us on how we could help or even initiate other conservation projects....

---------------------------------------------------

And there is this... it's easier for people to read the link than it is for me to repeat what's been said, but this looks like a very good place to contact.
www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/research/projects/tropical-land-snails/

[rosanna123]

hi, i have posted a link to this of my worldofsnails forum and maybe you could post something up on your forum (supersnails)

[apple]

I already did opened a thread on this forum about this subject, so it´s very nice to see more people interested.
I did managed to bred sucessfully an endemic specie from Algarve (Gittenbergeria turriplana: it´s only known on some small fields) and the CB snails were already released in their natural habitat.
Hopefully all of you can breed some of your local endemic rare species or from other countries.
I did knew a nigerian collector that said that Archachatina marginata ovum ( normal not albino) is getting increasingly rare in some highlands of Nigeria, the same information from Ivory Coast about Arch. ventricosa ( king variety) and about tiger snails I already did heard that they are decreasing too.

[ness]

Sept 10, 2010 15:36:55 GMT apple said:

I already did opened a thread on this forum about this subject, so it´s very nice to see more people interested.
I did managed to bred sucessfully an endemic specie from Algarve (Gittenbergeria turriplana: it´s only known on some small fields) and the CB snails were already released in their natural habitat.
Hopefully all of you can breed some of your local endemic rare species or from other countries.
I did knew a nigerian collector that said that Archachatina marginata ovum ( normal not albino) is getting increasingly rare in some highlands of Nigeria, the same information from Ivory Coast about Arch. ventricosa ( king variety) and about tiger snails I already did heard that they are decreasing too.

Thank you apple. I'll see if I can search out your post and link to it

[ness]

Found it
petsnails.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=47