Asian lion

Asian lion

Abi, an Asian lioness, licks her 10-week-old cub at London Zoo. Abi is one of two cubs recently born to Abi, the first cubs born at the zoo in 10 years. There are fewer than 300 Asian lions left in the wild.



Photo :AP

Smallest deer in the world discovered in Himalayas

The world’s smallest deer, a flying frog, and catfish that stick to rocks - as well as more than 350 other species - have been discovered over the past decade in the Himalayas, making it one of the world’s most biologically rich regions.

U.S. Army Wants to Relocate 1,100+ Endangered Desert Tortoises

The U.S. Army wants to expand training operations at Ft. Irwin in the Mojave Desert, but one unusual armored foe is standing in their way: Endangered desert tortoises. The Army has asked the federal Bureau of Land Management for approval to move 1,100 tortoises.

India to reintroduce cheetah 60 years after 'extinction'

India is to reintroduce the cheetah more than 60 years after it was pronounced extinct in the country.

It is the only one of the big cats no longer found in the country. While the tiger population has declined rapidly, India has spreading prides of Asiatic Lions and a healthy leopard population.

The last documented sight of cheetahs in India was in 1947 when an Indian prince shot three during a hunting expedition. They were formally declared extinct in 1952.

Wildlife campaigners say the cats, which are the fastest land animals, were hunted into extinction from the Mughal period when Emperor Akbar owned 1,000 cheetahs, to the early 20th century when several thousand survived.

Today, there are probably fewer than 100 left in Asia, all in Iran.

Jairam Ramesh, the environment minister, said the government had commissioned a study to explore reintroducing the cheetah by importing breeding pairs back into the country.

"The cheetah is the only animal to have been declared extinct in India in the last 1,000 years. We have to get them from abroad to repopulate the species here," he said.

Snow white tiger cub who only has stripe markings on her tail

Fareeda is a snow white tiger cub who only has stripe markings on her tail






A beautiful rare snow white Bengal tiger doesn't have to earn her stripes because she was born without them.

The playful six-month-old cub called Fareeda is so unusual none of her kind exist in the wild today and she is the first-ever to be born in Africa.

Her parents Geena and Shiva are both white Bengal tigers and carry the gene for white colouring.

But while mum, dad, brother Shahir and sister Sitarah all bear the typical black tiger stripes, Fareeda was born without them at odds of 100 to one.


Fareeda, who was hand-reared by keepers at Cango Wildlife Ranch, near Cape Town, South Africa, is part of a unique breeding programme to keep the White Bengal species alive. Currently several hundred live in captivity around the world.

Keepers at the ranch were delighted when Fareeda and her siblings were born on Christmas Day last year, but even more surprised to see Fareeda's rare lack of markings. It is thought there are less than 20 tigers like Fareeda alive in the world today.


Odette Claassen, 52, from Cango Wildlife Ranch, said the keepers had to wait six months before they could be sure Fareeda definitely did not have stripes.

She said: 'Some cubs develop stripes in their first few months but after six months it's clear that Fareeda is truly one of the rarest of her kind.

When she was born Fareeda had noticeably pale colour it did cause a stir of excitement amongst the staff.

But we knew there was the possibility of the cub's very light black and ginger stripes darkening over time existed.
Most white Bengal tigers are bred in the US from a single male captured in India in the 1950s, but Fareeda is the first to be born in Africa, which is very special.

She has a lovely nature and loves playing with her brothers and sisters, although she has nipped me a few times when she wants a feed.