The Partula snail is native to the South Pacific, where once upon a time it spent its days in languid island comfort, gliding slowly along the leaves and stalks of trees in high-altitude forests on the slopes of volcanoes. In a "cane toad" style chain of events, many species of Partula snail are now extinct in the wild. Partula snails may not be particularly interesting to the layperson. They are about half an inch long, and come in various shades of brown. The Partula is the only snail that gives birth to live, fully-shelled babies. (Most snails lay eggs.) This is where it gets its name - Partula is the Roman goddess of childbirth. The snails reproduce slowly, giving birth to one baby snail about every six to eight weeks. Partula snails also have an interesting place in the history of evolutionary theory. The Partula was used as an example by both sides of the evolutionary debate between Darwin's theory of evolution, and Lamarck's theory of acquired traits. However, the most interesting thing about the humble Partula snail is that we destroyed it - or nearly so. In 1967, colonies of the Giant African land snail (Achatina fulica) were imported to Tahiti for use as a food source. Although it was said to be delicious, the Giant African land snail unfortunately escaped, and quickly became a major pest. This eight-inch monster is a serious threat to crops, and a vector for disease parasites which are transmissible to humans. The snail can hibernate for up to three years in times of hardship, and reproduces at an astonishing rate. One Giant African land snail can produce six "clutches" of eggs per year; each clutch averages 200 eggs. Because the Giant African land snail is such an invasive and challenging species worldwide, it is illegal to possess one in the United States and many other countries. In the early 1970s, the predatory rosy wolf snail (Euglandina rosea) was brought to Tahiti in order to eradicate the Giant African land snail. Unfortunately, the rosy wolf snail has done little to stop the plague of Giant African land snail. Instead, it turned its attention to the native Partula snail. By 1987, the Partula snail had been largely eradicated from the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. The topic of zoos can be a divisive one. Is it ethical to take animals from the wild and keep them in a zoo? Can an animal that has been born and raised in a zoo be considered "wild"? Are the conditions inherent to zoos humane? (Even the best zoo cannot provide the hundreds of miles of territory most animals enjoy in the wild?) However, for the Partula snail, it was definitely a case of "zoos to the rescue." In the late 1990s and early 2000s, several zoos salvaged small remaining colonies of Partula snails from Tahiti and Moorea. Although little is known about the Partula snail's natural diet, they have been thriving on a zoo diet of ground nettle powder, oats, fish meal, and vitamins. Several zoos, including the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and the Zoological Society of London, are running successful Partula snail breeding programs. In 2009 the Woodland Park Zoo hopes to fly some of its Partula snails out to Tahiti, to be reintroduced to the wild.