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Rampaging wild boar draw pleas for military response

They are laying waste to crops in record numbers and their snouts are seriously damaging the autumn harvest. But soon the rampaging wild boar that have been causing havoc in rural areas of Germany could be gunned down by army marksmen, if farmers get their way.

Fast growing salmon cleared as fit for human consumption in US

A genetically modified salmon which grows twice as fast as normal is completely safe for human consumption and poses little risk to the environment according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The regulatory body's verdict paves the way for GM animals to be produced commercially for food for the first time.

Picture of the Day: Mint croc dip

Rarely are photographers met with subjects that are just as snap-happy as themselves, but they met their match in northern Colombia on Saturday when 800 baby alligators ? that adds up to an awful lot of teeth ? were released into the wild.

Ministers braced for animal-lovers' anger over badger cull plan

Farmers in England are to be issued with licences to cull badgers under plans to halt the spread of tuberculosis in cattle herds, which will spark a storm of protest from animal lovers.

Why your sustainable fish may not be as guilt-free as you think

Since its establishment more than a decade ago, the reputation of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has been as spotless as the consciences of shoppers who buy fish bearing its blue "tick" logo in the expectation it has been sustainably caught. Until now.

Forest fires in Madeira put future of Europe's rarest seabird under threat

Europe's rarest seabird, the Zino's Petrel, found only in Madeira, has suffered potentially devastating losses from a forest fire which struck the birds' breeding area on the Atlantic island.

India's elephants finally given same protection as tigers

The humble hardworking elephant is not an animal that usually likes to complain. But over the years, while higher-profile, more urgently threatened species have been the subject of widescale conservation efforts, elephant numbers have been allowed to dwindle. Perhaps worse, the gender ratio ? since only males have tusks, it is they who are sought by poachers ? has become perilously skewed.

Hurricane threatens US holiday islands

Visitors and some residents were evacuated from low-lying holiday islands off the North Carolina coast yesterday as Hurricane Earl bore down on the US eastern seaboard, churning up dangerous swells.

One of the wettest, coldest Augusts

Last month brought the coldest temperature recorded in August for 23 years ? and a complete absence of "hot days", figures showed yesterday.

Activists ready to sabotage French bird-hunters

French ornithologists are waging an increasingly sophisticated war against the hunting of the ortolan, a songbird which is regarded by gastronomes ? when eaten beak, bones and all ? as the ultimate in sinful pleasure.

Are we losing the fight to save our hedgerows?

They are the living seams that have typified the British countryside for centuries. But now hedgerows are disappearing fast, and a report published tomorrow will say we are not doing enough to protect them.

Seal mutilation 'caused by boat propeller'

A clue has emerged in the hunt to find what is causing the horrific corkscrew injuries to many dozens of seals whose bodies have been washed up along Britain's east coast this summer.

Far from the sea, urban seagulls terrorise skies

Britain's population of urban seagulls, the source of increasing complaints about dirt, health threats, noise and attacks on people, is now rising so fast that it may reach one million birds by 2020 if concerted action is not taken to manage the problem.

"Ordain women," London bus ads will urge Pope

Pope Benedict will be confronted by posters on London's famous red buses during his trip to the British capital next month which will call for the ordination of women priests.

Pea-sized frogs found in Borneo carnivorous plants

One of the world's tiniest frogs ? barely larger than a pea ? has been found living in and around carnivorous plants on Borneo island, one of the scientists who made the accidental discovery said today.

Japan to rally pro-whaling nations for ending ban

Japan is inviting pro-whaling nations to a meeting aimed at building support for lifting a decades-old ban on commercial whale hunts, the country's fisheries agency said today.

Plantation linked to junta is 'destroying' Burmese tiger reserve

The world's largest tiger reserve, in the wilds of northern Burma, is being rapidly eroded as a businessman with links to the junta replaces trees with cash crops, according to a report published yesterday.

'Cruel' treatment of elephants in zoos must stop, says RSPCA

No more elephants should be imported into Britain, the RSPCA has said, calling for the animals to be phased out from British zoos.

Heavy rain sparks flash floods in Wales

Firefighters dealt with flash floods today after heavy rain fell on parts of Wales.

Protest at 'macabre' pilot whale slaughter

Mutilated pilot whales line the dock at Klaksvic on the Faroe Islands, a Danish protectorate, after being slaughtered by islanders who slash and stab to death hundreds of the animals as part of an annual hunt.

Bat 'mutes sonar signal to sneak up on its prey'

A rare British bat has developed remarkable stealth technology to sneak up on the moths which are its principal prey, new research has shown.

Now Atlantic is found to have huge 'garbage patch'

A huge expanse of floating plastic debris has been documented for the first time in the North Atlantic Ocean. The size of the affected area rivals the "great Pacific garbage patch" in the world's other great ocean basin, which generated an outcry over the effects of plastic waste on marine wildlife.

Estate alert over 'giant rats'

A councillor today said she would ask her authority to investigate reports of giant rats invading an estate.

Churchill's final mission is completed

It was 1939 and the Nazi menace threatened Europe. But while Britain clamoured for the leadership of Winston Churchill, the thoughts of the great warrior himself were focused on an altogether more pacific subject: butterflies.

Mystery of the vanishing sparrows still baffles scientists 10 years on

The greenfinch may be declining because of a parasitic disease, but nobody knows ? still ? the reason for the decline of the house sparrow.