MINNERIYA, Sri Lanka, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - As evening falls, a female elephant and her pink-skinned baby emerge from the jungle for a leafy snack around an ancient artificial lake in Sri Lanka.

They are just two of hundreds of wild elephants that gather each evening along the banks of the Minneriya reservoir for food, water, shelter -- and match-making.

KAMPALA, Oct 3, 2008 (AFP) - A new family of mountain gorillas, one of the world's most endangered species, is ready for interaction with tourists, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) told AFP Friday.

'There is a new group of 13 members that has been habituated,' UWA spokeswoman Lillian Nsubuga said.

SIGIRIYA, Sri Lanka, Sept 20, 2008 (AFP) - With wetlands and jungles teeming with colourful butterflies and exotic primates, Sri Lanka is planning to lure a new type of tourist who prefers wildlife to beach life.

KATHMANDU, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - At least six people have been killed in southern Nepal in rampages by wild elephants in the last two days, police said Saturday.

'Five people were trampled to death overnight while one was killed on Friday morning in the villages of Saptari and neighbouring Siraha districts,' police officer Bhoj Narayan Shrestha told AFP.

LONDON, September 10, 2008 (AFP) - The okapi, an African animal so elusive that it was once believed to be a mythical unicorn, has been photographed in the wild for the first time, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said Thursday.

KOLKATA, September 10, 2008 (AFP) - A renowned Czech entomologist has been sentenced to three years in prison by a court in northeast India for collecting rare species of insects in a national park, a report said.

Emil Kucera, 52, was however granted bail to allow him to appeal, the Press Trust of India news agency reported Wednesday.

KOLKATA, September 9, 2008 (AFP) - An Indian court on Monday found two renowned Czech entomologists guilty of collecting rare species of insects in a national park, officials said.

Emil Kucera, 52, and Petr Svacha, 51, were arrested with more than 50 butterflies and several other rare species of insects in June at a hotel in West Bengal's hill resort of Darjeeling.

MOSCOW, September 1, 2008 (AFP) - You've seen Vladimir Putin the bomber pilot, judo expert and fisherman -- but tiger tamer?

Russian media, known for hero-worshipping the prime minister and former president, reported Monday that Putin fired a tranquilizer dart at a tiger that got loose Sunday during a photo-op at a wildlife sanctuary.

MAASAI MARA, August 27, 2008 (AFP) - Investors and conservationists have dreamt up an innovative business plan to save Kenya's iconic Maasai Mara, a wildlife haven threatened by over-grazing, farming and mass tourism.

India on Saturday offered money to villagers to vacate wildlife reserves in a bid to save the ...