Birthplace of the Canadian National
Park System and
home to one of the rarest creatures on Earth.
The sulfurous pool here is home to one of
our most threatened species. There are very few Banff
Springs Snails left. They once populated the
five main hotsprings of the Canadian Rockies and this is their
last plentiful refuge. Human activity is the snail's
biggest threat. Illegal swimming has destroyed most
of the algae that hold hundreds of snail eggs. Even
the chemicals in our hands may damage a super-fragile eco-system.
Remaining snail populations rise and fall dramatically.
Today Parks Canada monitors and protects a species that would
otherwise be extinct. It is hoped that one day the other
hotsprings can be re-populated from this location just like
much of the United States has been re-populated with Bison,
Wolf and Elk from Alberta.
