Conservation Challenge as Dichotomy in Migration Patterns Found for East Atlantic Sea Turtles
Cornwall, UK - May 22, 2006 20:55 EST
Studying members of a large population of loggerhead sea turtles that nest on the Cape Verde islands off of West Africa, researchers have found an unexpected dichotomy in turtle behavior: While some turtles leave the nesting grounds to feed on...

Kenyan Officials Recover Stolen 'Koranic' Tuna from Unscrupulous Traders
Mombasa, Kenya - May 18, 2006 20:31 EST
National Museums of Kenya (NMK) officials have recovered the rare fish with Arabic inscriptions after it was stolen by people posing as officials from the department. The fish, caught off the Vanga coast in Kwale District last week, was recovered from...

Kenyan Authorities to Preserve Fish Carrying Koranic Message; 'God is Communicating with His People'
Mombasa, Kenya - May 14, 2006 18:41 EST
The Kenyan fisheries department has taken the fish with a Koranic message caught off the Mombasa coast on Friday for preservation at its Liwatoni cold house. At the same time, the National Museums of Kenya said it would document it for...

New 'Allah' Fish Discovered by Kenyan Fisherman; Tuna Inscribed with 'God is the Provider'
Mombasa, Kenya - May 13, 2006 17:01 EST
A fisherman off Kenya's south coast's Vanga area early yesterday morning caught a unique fish with patterns on one side that resembled Islamic calligraphic inscriptions. The two-kilo tuna species was discovered at a Mombasa Old Town fish outlet ‘Takaungu Fish Shop’...

Sierra Leone Angler Catches 'Man Eating' Shark Responsible for Four Fisherman's Deaths
Freetown, Sierra Leone - Mar 29, 2006 18:05 EST
An amateur angler in Sierra Leone has caught a 300 kg (660 lb) shark that local fishermen say killed four of their colleagues at sea off the impoverished West African country. Riad Hassan, a 61-year-old jeweller, said he caught the shark...

Scientist warns of threat to last stronghold of endangered turtle
Exeter, UK - Mar 7, 2006 19:37 EST
A major conservation effort, led by Dr Brendan Godley of the University of Exeter, has just got underway to help protect endangered leatherback turtles which nest in Gabon, West Africa. The region is thought to be the animals' last global...

Man Loses Wedding Ring, Arm to Crocodile; 'They Never Brush Their Teeth'
Limpopo Province, South Africa - Feb 27, 2006 19:56 EST
Pieter Abrahamse has an original excuse for a lost wedding ring: a crocodile ate it, along with the arm it was attached to. "He took my wedding ring, I suppose he ate it up," Abrahamse told Reuters by telephone from his...

Expert: Disentangling Whales Perilous; 'Interpreting What a Whale Does is Difficult'
Cape Town, South Africa - Feb 23, 2006 19:15 EST
Whales may be intelligent, but they’re not human – so don’t expect them to behave in a human-like way when they’re entangled in ropes, lobster pots or buoys, says a visiting expert. Whale entanglement authority Bob Bowman, who works for the...

Seychelles Bans Foreign-Owned Vessels from Shark Finning
Seychelles - Feb 21, 2006 17:45 EST
The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), in a ban that took effect on Monday, has told 275 foreign vessels operating in the island's waters that they are no longer allowed to fin sharks. "Shark-finning ... threatens many shark stocks, the stability...

12 hungry crocs die at Zimbabwe farm, more rescued
Harare, ZImbabwe - Jan 25, 2006 00:00 EST
At least 12 crocodiles have starved to death at a Zimbabwe farm, while more than 250 have been rescued, the Herald newspaper said on Wednesday. It said the reptiles were at a farm owned by the chief executive of the Zimbabwe...

Critics assail South Africa shark cage diving industry; chumming triggering 'Pavlovian' response
Gansbaai, South Africa - Dec 14, 2005 00:00 EST
The cage is lowered half into the blue-green swell of the southern Atlantic. At the skipper's command we don wet suits and masks and clamber in, four of us. A crew member throws a foul-smelling mix of shark liver and...

Group: Crocodile Most Dangerous Animals in Zimbabwe; 13 People Eaten in so far 2005
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Dec 14, 2005 00:00 EST
Crocodiles took a narrow lead over elephants as the most dangerous animal to humans in Zimbabwe this year, a conservation group reported Wednesday. Crocodiles dragged away and ate 13 people -- including children -- in the first 10 months of 2005,...

'Nelson,' Fearsome Crocodile, R.I.P; 80-yr-old Grew to Over 18 Feet
Kazungula, Botswana - Dec 12, 2005 00:00 EST
With his massive jaws and jagged teeth, Nelson was the most fearsome predator that ever lived in the ponds of the Chobe Crocodile Farm. Even his lifeless and already decomposing body underscores that he was once a huge reptile that fathered...