{"id":18861,"date":"2025-05-09T12:34:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T19:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=18861"},"modified":"2025-05-09T12:41:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T19:41:25","slug":"azgfd-phoenix-zoo-join-forces-to-fight-invasive-snails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/05\/09\/azgfd-phoenix-zoo-join-forces-to-fight-invasive-snails\/","title":{"rendered":"AZGFD, Phoenix Zoo join forces to fight invasive snails"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>NEWS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May 9, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video aligncenter\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/09124022\/apple-snail-cleanup-with-phx-zoo-video-version-450-x-350-px.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>TEMPE, Ariz. \u2014&nbsp; Biologists from the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) teamed up with the Phoenix Zoo and its ZooTeens and Trailblazers programs to lead youth volunteers on a mission to remove invasive apple snails and learn how these \u201cbad snails\u201d impact local environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jeff Sorensen, AZGFD\u2019s invertebrate wildlife program manager \u2014 affectionately known as the department\u2019s \u2018snail guy\u2019 \u2014 said Sunday\u2019s event was a great success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAbout 20 volunteers removed 551 egg masses and 17 live apple snails from the Lo Piano Habitat Area canal near Tempe\u2019s Papago Park,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cIt was a wonderful opportunity for these young volunteers to learn and contribute to the health of this habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AZGFD first recorded apple snails in Arizona in 2009. Likely released as unwanted aquarium pets, the snails quickly became a problem in some of the state&#8217;s waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA single female apple snail can produce thousands of eggs a year,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cUnfortunately, most wildlife find them unpalatable, so without natural predators, their populations can explode.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because they face few predators and are highly adaptable to Arizona\u2019s waters and climate, apple snails have a clear advantage over native species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cApple snails are able to outcompete \u2014 and even predate on \u2014 our native snails,\u201d Sorensen said, \u201cwhich are a key part of the food base for Arizona\u2019s waterfowl, fish, and aquatic wildlife.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenix Zoo, whose waters fortunately remain free of apple snails, recognizes the serious threat that these invaders pose to neighboring waterways and aquatic habitats across central and southern Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis event was a great way for our ZooTeens and Trailblazers to engage with the community on an important issue,\u201d said Nina Loughman, the Zoo\u2019s Youth Engagement Manager. \u201cIt was a success not just in removing invasive snails, but also in providing a very impactful experience for the teens and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The public can help by never releasing unwanted pets into the wild \u2014 it\u2019s illegal \u2014 and by knocking apple snail egg masses (which resemble pink bubble gum) into the water when spotted. It\u2019s a simple action that helps stop the next generation of these invaders from taking over Arizona\u2019s waters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/3Q-sdB9BqXk?feature=shared&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery\">Watch this short video<\/a>&nbsp;with AZGFD biologist Jeff Sorensen to learn more about the apple snail invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Young citizen scientists learn to remove apple snails and protect native species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":18863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AZGFD, Phoenix Zoo join forces to fight invasive snails - Arizona Game &amp; 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