Hawaii: In 1955, Hawaii released a cannibal snail to control another invasive snail, but the predator instead helped push the islands’ rare native tree snails toward extinction
Still, the outlook for Hawaii’s snails is uncertain, symbolizing a new era in the conservation of endangered species. In 1955, wildlife officials in Hawaii released a meat-eating “cannibal” snail to control an invasive pest. But the plan went terribly wrong. Instead of eating the pest, the predator turned on the islands’ rare native tree snails,…