One of the most ecologically diverse corners of the United States has been diced up by farming and urban sprawl into isolated fragments of habitat that support far less wildlife than when they were whole.

Formerly the deputy assistant secretary for the service, Ms. MacDonald was criticized for disregarding scientific research, and suspected of political interference by affecting legal decisions on endangered species.

Timberland owners and conservationists are preparing for another round of debate about protecting the Canada lynx following a decision to reconsider the possibility of designating land as critical habitat in Maine.

The Iberian Lynx (lynx pardinus), probably the most famous of the species native to Spain, is one of the most endangered species on the planet and the most threatened of the world’s 36 species of big cat.

ZOOS are killing healthy tigers and other endangered species and selling their skins to be stuffed and mounted as trophies for private collectors, an investigation has found.

Comparisons between crocs and tigers don't hold, in part because tigers are far more expensive to raise than crocodiles, upping the incentive to poach instead of farm. "In India you can poison a tiger for less than a dollar," says Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. "Raising one in captivity will cost $3,500 to $10,000."

A program to save endangered South China tigers is under way at a 33,000-hectare nature reserve in South Africa.

The 400-sq km Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, one of the few sanctuaries in India with a growing tiger population, is set to expand with the addition of four villages whose human population will be relocated.