Volunteers of DOYA, a Sivasagar-based animal welfare organization recovered a rare species of owl with multiple fractures in its right leg at Mothadang village near Sivasagar today morning. The bird was taken to Sivasagar Veterinary Hospital and was later handed over to the forest department. It would be sent to the wild animal rehabilitation centre at Bonjuri, Bokakhat, for treatment from experts, said DOYA president Srimanta Borthakur.

A total of 560 species of animals and plants in the country have been declared critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. "The IUCN has reported in its red data list that 560 species stand threatened in India. Of these, a total of 313 species, including vultures, are animals while 247 are plant species," Mr S. Reghupathy, minister of state for environment and forests, said in a written reply.

>> Governments of Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have announced a joint health programme to tackle a meningitis epidemic, which has gripped the bordering area of the two countries. By the second week

"Help save rhinos,' a poster appealed. A photograph of a severely-bloodied rhino loomed out of it. We were at Jakhalbanda, a regular halt for buses taking visitors to the Kaziranga National Park. It

Species Monitoring Seen Helping Slow Extinctions NORWAY: April 10, 2008 OSLO - A planned new network to monitor life on earth from microbes to whales could help guide governments struggling to slow extinctions, experts said on Wednesday. A three-day meeting of 100 scientists and officials in Potsdam, Germany, will end on Thursday with a deal on building blocks for a "Biodiversity Observation Network" for animals and plants facing threats such as pollution or climate change.

Endangered Bears Find Refuge In New Vietnam Centre VIETNAM: April 8, 2008 TAM DAO - A furry black bear cub playfully clasps a rubber pet toy between its paws and eats fruit in its new home -- Vietnam's first refuge for bears rescued from abusive traffickers of bile used in traditional medicines. The bear is one of four 50 kg (110 lb) endangered Asiatic black cubs and two adults that were smuggled either from neighbouring Laos or from southern Vietnam in the past seven months, and confiscated by the authorities.

AS WE TURNED off the sixlane Bangalore-Mysore highway, headed down progressively narrower roads, it seemed like we were going to any other village in rural Karnataka. Ragi and horse gram were spread on the road to be threshed by passing vehicles and the paddy fields were dotted with Egrets and Black Ibis. But as we approached Kokkare Bellur, it became clear that this was no ordinary village: overhead, we saw a few pelicans and from atop several trees came the loud raucous calls of nesting storks.