Free Republic

'Extinct' wild horse roams again By Charles Clover (Filed: 19/12/2005) The wild horse has been saved from extinction after a successful programme to reintroduce captive-bred horses to their natural habitat in Mongolia. A working group of scientists at London Zoo has now recommended that Przewalski's horse, previously characterised as "extinct" in the wild, should now be listed as "endangered". It is a rare case of a species climbing away from extinction. If the new status is accepted by IUCN, the World Conservation Union, scientists say it will be a milestone for large mammal conservation. In 1945, there were only 31...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Outside the gates of the U.S. military base at Kandahar airport, Jalat Khan selected a stone from the gravel on the shoulder of the road and swallowed it. Then Khan, a jobless wanderer in a turban and robe, did it again. And again. Pretty soon, a crowd had gathered, oblivious to the U.S. Army Humvees rolling out of the base on routine patrols. Even the clatter and roar of American helicopters and transport planes -- part of the daily base traffic that usually turns heads -- couldn't compete with Khan on Thursday, who invited spectators to hear...