800 Critically Endangered giant snails die in a fridge

KILLED: 800 native giant land snails perished in a Department of Conservation fridge

This was an entirely avoidable tragedy'

November 2011: Eight hundred native giant land snails from the West Coast have died in New Zealand Department of Conservation fridge. The news about the critically endangered snails has been greeted with dismay by nature conservation organisation Forest & Bird.

‘First, their natural home was destroyed for a coal mine on Stockton Plateau, and now they've died in captivity. This tragedy was entirely avoidable,' Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Nicola Vallance said.

‘The snails needed just five hectares of land'
The Powelliphanta augusta giant land snails that died in the fridge were taken from the Stockton Plateau in 2006 to make way for Solid Energy's open-cast coal mine.

‘All they lived on was five hectares on the top of Mt Augustus. We wanted that small corner left. Instead, Solid Energy mined the lot. This is a sharp lesson that moving native animals from their natural habitat doesn't work' Nicola said.

Further threat to remaining snails
Some Powelliphanta augusta snails have been moved from the Department of Conservation fridges to the Denniston Plateau, which is also now threatened by an open-cast coal mine planned by Australian-owned Bathurst Resources.

Forest & Bird is working to save these snails - and other wildlife including great spotted kiwi and West Coast green geckos - and would like to see a reserve created to protect the Denniston Plateau and its unique native plants and animals.