Dismay at death of rare snail

A highly endangered native snail moved from its natural habitat to make way for an expanded coal mine has died while being kept in an icecream container in a fridge.

The death has further fuelled a long-running and bitter battle over relocation of the giant rare powelliphanta augustus snails to allow state-owned Solid Energy to access $400 million worth of high-quality coal at its West Coast Stockton mine near Westport.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter approved the relocation this year against the advice of his department, dismaying conservation groups who said he was risking the first state-sanctioned extinction of an entire species.

The total population of around 500 snails is confined to around 5ha on the Mt Augustus ridge, almost all of it within the mining licence area.

Green Party conservation spokesperson Metiria Turei said Mr Carter should immediately stop the relocation.

"The consent did not say anything about keeping the snails in the fridge," she said. "They might not be sexy or as cuddly as kiwi but they are no less valuable."

Save Happy Valley protester Frances Mountier, whose group has camped out near the mine for months, said the job of rounding them up had been rushed.

"It's a laughable attempt to save them. It's no surprise one has died."

DoC now has 397 of the snails in stacked domestic fridges in icecream containers lined with soil. Some will go into a captive breeding programme but the majority will be released when Solid Energy sets up a suitable alternative site for them, a condition of its resource consent.

West Coast DoC conservator Mike Slater said there were "no suspicious circumstances" surrounding the snail's death.

He did not know what temperature the fridges were kept at but said conditions in the snails' natural habitat were harsh and very cold. A spokesman for Mr Carter said the minister stood by his decision.