SALMON, July 31, 2008 (AFP) - A proposal to kill thousands of mustangs roaming the western United States has angered animal welfare groups, which say horses are paying the price for years of bureaucratic mismanagement.

KOLKATA, July 26, 2008 (AFP) - Two Czech scientists arrested in India for allegedly stealing rare butterflies and insects in order to sell them on the Internet were granted bail on the weekend, an official said Saturday.

WINDHOEK, July 25, 2008 (AFP) - A Namibian annual wildlife auction on Friday sold 175 rare species in an hour for a record price, among them the black rhinoceros and the African buffalo, the environment and tourism ministry said.

The animals were snapped up by breeders and game farm owners for 19 million Namibian dollars (2.5 million US, 1.6 million euros).

SOLOVETSKY ISLANDS, July 24, 2008 (AFP) - A young whale pokes its melon-shaped head into the cool morning air near this remote island, a sign its herd is thriving despite mounting threats in Russia's melting Arctic.

KOLKATA, July 22, 2008 (AFP) - Two Czech scientists arrested in India for stealing rare butterfly and insect species were planning to sell them on the Internet, an official said Tuesday.

HARARE, July 3, 2008 (AFP) - A renowned wildlife conservancy in Zimbabwe has been invaded by pro-Robert Mugabe militia who have demanded the owner vacate the property, an anti-poaching organisation said Thursday.

SEOUL, July 3, 2008 (AFP) - South Korean police Thursday arrested a man who allegedly pocketed enormous profits by passing off cheap deer antlers imported from New Zealand as expensive homegrown items.

The man identified only as Park sold 5.62 tons of New Zealand antlers as local goods, Yonhap news agency quoted Seoul police as saying.

NAIROBI, July 1, 2008 (AFP) - Kenya has given the green light to a project where sugar will be grown to generate power in coastal wetlands, despite objections by environmentalists, its government said Tuesday.

PHUKET, June 27, 2008 (AFP) - Thirty false killer whales swam ashore on a beach near the Thai resort isle of Phuket, but local residents and hotel staff saved all but one of them, a marine official said Friday.

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2008 (AFP) - The World Bank launched Monday a joint project with conservation groups and Hollywood to help reverse the dramatic decline of wild tigers in Asia, in what is seen as the single most important act to save the Big Cat.