The us government has once again missed its deadline to add the polar bear to the list of endangered species. The us Fish and Wildlife Service was due to take a decision in this regard by

The vulture has been spotted again near Victoria Memorial Vultures are back in the city, after a gap of two years.

Three environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government for missing the deadline to list the polar bear as a threatened animal under the Endangered Species Act.

Despite two civil wars, illegal logging and poaching, the elusive and endangered pygmy hippos are alive and well in the forests of Liberia.

After a year's gap, Olive Ridley turtles have started mass-nesting at the Rushikulya rookery in Orissa's Ganjam district. On Tuesday night, around 15,000 turtles reached the beach. Their number grew to around 35,000 by Wednesday night, said A.K. Jena, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Berhampur. He expects more turtles to come in over the next few days, for congregations of thousands of turtles are waiting off the coast. It is the first episode of mass nesting of these endangered marine turtles on the Orissa coast this year. Mass nesting occurs regularly at the Rushikulya rookery, the Devi river rookery and the Gahirmatha beach in Orissa. But last year there was no mass nesting at the Rushikulya river mouth, where in 2006 it occurred twice. "It speaks of our limited knowledge about the habits and habitats of these marine turtles,' said Mr. Jena. Female Olive Ridleys can store sperms without fertilisation inside their body up to three years. Forest Department officials, experts from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Wild Life Institute of India, Dehra Dun, are monitoring the mass nesting. The 3-km stretch of beach where the turtles are laying eggs has been divided into 100-m segments. There are 35 sampling points within this area to record data on the reptiles reaching the coast to lay eggs. Fishermen have been requested not to fish in the region where the turtles are waiting in the sea. Tourists are also under strict watch to ensure silence and darkness on the beach, which are important factors for turtles, said Mr. Jena. Over the last four days, fishermen from villages such as Purunabandh and Gokharkuda are working as volunteers for the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Project. They are helping protect turtles clambering up the sandy beach after midnight to dig holes with their flippers to lay around 20 to 30 eggs each. They cover the eggs with sand and venture into the sea by morning. Lying buried in sand, the eggs hatch after 45 days.

Centre for Ecological Movement volunteers at Rajhat, in Hooghly, where they work to save the peacock Wildlife can be preserved only if people living close by are encouraged to lend a helping hand. Guided by this motto, the city-based Centre for Ecological Movement (CEMO), a consortium of NGOs and NGIs (non government individuals), has been working with villagers of Bankura and Hooghly to save elephants and peacocks. "Our objective is to fight poaching and preserve endangered species and their habitat by extending financial assistance to the local people and helping them manage their resources better,' said Purnima Dutta, the secretary of the centre, which had recently organised a two-day camp on the Army Territorial Ground to spread awareness about the environment. More than 20 schools participated in the "eco-jamboree', which included extempore speeches and skit contests on nature. The centre, with 50 registered members

A rare and threatened species of tiny frog has been found breeding in a New Zealand animal park, meaning its future may now be more secure, researchers said. The 13 finger nail-sized Maud Island froglets were discovered clinging to the backs of male frogs at the Karori wildlife sanctuary in Wellington, said researcher Kerri Lukis. The frogs are found only on two islands in New Zealand's South Island. "Maud Island frogs have never been found breeding' before, even on their home island.