>
Hello!
Charlie and Paul,
As Lee Corso would say "Not so fast my friend!"
The way I know the story (Pers. Comment; R.T. Abbott) the habitat
was being cut down for the commercialization of lumber, the snails happened
to be a by-product (easy access). Since the habitat was (and probably still
is)
being destroyed the snail population was greatly reduced in size. I suppose
placing the snail on endangered status protects the habitat, maybe. I say
maybe
because as the saying goes; "Poderoso Caballero Don Dinero" [Quevedo].
Later,
Emilio Jorge Power