BEIJING, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - American swimmer Amanda Beard staged the first athlete protest of the Beijing Olympics, unveiling a nude photo of herself Wednesday outside the Athlete's Village to back an anti-animal cruelty cause.

WELLINGTON, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - A rare 111-year-old New Zealand reptile with links to the age of the dinosaurs is to become a father for the first time in at least 38 years after regaining an interest in sex.

SYDNEY, August 3, 2008 (AFP) - Australia has banned imports of an exotic breed of cat, calling it an extreme risk to the country's native wildlife, a minister said Sunday.

OTTAWA, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - The world's oldest polar bear, orphaned as a cub in the cold Russian north and raised in captivity, is dying, after thrilling more than 18 million visitors to a Canadian zoo, officials said Friday.

LONDON, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Vets gave a sick whale a lethal injection on Friday after a rescue operation to free it from mudflats in southern England ended in failure, rescuers said.

The six-tonne (5,440-kilogramme) northern bottlenose whale had been re-floated after it became stranded near Hayling Island in Hampshire for around 12 hours when the tide went out.

LONDON, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Rescuers attempting Friday to save a whale stranded on mud flats in southern England appeared to have lost their battle after the animal suffered kidney failure.

The six-tonne (5,440-kilogramme) northern bottlenose whale was re-floated after it became stuck near Hayling Island in Hampshire for around 12 hours when the tide went out.

LONDON, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - A British scientist said Monday he was anxiously awaiting the results of DNA tests on hair claimed to be from a yeti after initial examinations showed it had human and ape-like characteristics.

SYDNEY, July 24, 2008 (AFP) - A pet rabbit in Australia was credited with saving its owners Thursday after scratching at the door of their bedroom as their home burned, emergency workers said.

BRUSSELS, July 23, 2008 (AFP) - The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to ban products made from seals killed in inhumane ways in a measure fuelling tensions with major seal skin exporter Canada.

LONDON, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - A British homeowner plans to reward his family's pet parrot after it saved them from a fire by frantically squawking to wake them up, a report said Monday.

Bob, an African grey, may even get a new mate after raising the alarm as the blaze took hold early Sunday morning in the family home in Hampshire, southern England.