A leading conservation group has declared the Western Black Rhino of Africa officially extinct and says two other subspecies of rhinoceros are close to meeting the same fate.

Scientists have taken the first tentative steps towards conserving some of the world's most endangered species with the help of stem-cell technology, which could lead to the generation of sperm and eggs from skin cells.

There was a time when a wind-battered man optimistically jutting his thumb into the air was a common sight on Britain's roadsides. Nor was it unusual for drivers to actually stop and offer a lift.

It was a Thursday evening in the Basildon Pitsea Leisure Centre. Phil pushed back his chair, and, swinging his legs up, slapped a mud-encrusted pair of workman's boots on the table. "These are my working-class object," he said. "I couldn't work without them. They say work to me. And working class means work."

When Elizabeth became the Queen, he was forced to quit his job in the Navy, and became depressed for months

He is not the only foreign player at Wantage Road and he's far from the only man in the side with plenty of experience, which has a lot to do with their success so far

Permits for wolf hunts are selling briskly in the US state of Idaho, after most wolves in the Northern Rockies were officially struck from the endangered species list in an unprecedented removal of protection by Congress.

Green campaigners want the Tarkine Wilderness to be given World Heritage status, but the government isn't listening

They are the adorable, furry little creatures with the big round eyes who almost purr in delight as they are tickled into a stupor. They are also an endangered species whose stardom on YouTube is fuelling a trade built on cruelty and abuse.

Dogs' sniffing powers have helped to detect bombs and smell signs of cancer. Now they're being used to track down endangered wildlife. Sue Corfield reports

When breeding programs are successful, endangered species are saved from extinction. But if too many animals are born, zoos have to take drastic steps

Headmaster, Bristol Grammar School

An abandoned baby orang-utan had a luxury journey to its new adoptive home - as a first-class passenger on a cruise ferry.

When airport officials confiscated and X-rayed a suspicious looking bronze statue of a bird sitting on a log at Manchester Airport last year, they might have wondered which high-value drug it would contain.