Swan family halts city rush-hour Tyneside's rush-hour traffic was briefly brought to a standstill when two swans and their cygnets wandered across a busy road. Passers-by rushed to stop cars as the six birds tried to cross the busy Claremont Road roundabout. 5/15/2008 7:49:25 AM

Canada won't follow U.S. on Polar bears Canada, home to two-thirds of the world's polar bears, will not for now follow the United States and list the animals as an endangered species, Environment Minister John Baird indicated on Wednesday. 5/15/2008 6:04:28 AM

Kittens 'adopted' by pet rabbit Six abandoned kittens have found an unexpected new mother figure - a pet rabbit. Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took the three-week-old kittens to her Aberdeen home. 5/14/2008 9:28:32 PM

Whales are 'cheetahs of the deep' Super-fast pilot whales have been observed sprinting after prey, likely to include giant squid. The rapid pursuit has brought comparisons with the fleet-footed land predator, the cheetah. 5/14/2008 9:23:25 PM

Poisoning suspected in Stringray deaths The Calgary Zoo suspects the 39 cownose rays that have mysteriously died were poisoned. "This is a huge tank, so something substantial had to have been put in ... we don't know if it was a powder or a liquid," said zoo spokeswoman Laurie Herron. 5/14/2008 5:13:05 PM

'Barcoding' the latest buzz in bee tracking A group of international scientists launched a campaign in Toronto this week to identify the world's bees, an effort they hope will help track and better understand these important pollinators of food crops. 5/14/2008 3:21:55 PM

U.S. declares polar bear to be threatened species The U.S. government has declared polar bears to be a threatened species due to shrinking Arctic sea ice caused by global warning. The ruling is expected to have an impact on a wide range of human activities including hunting and oil and mineral exploration . 5/14/2008 12:39:05 PM

Sloths overturn lazy reputation Sloths may make slow-motion replays look positively nippy but their reputation for slothfulness has been wildly exaggerated, scientists have found. 5/14/2008 7:00:20 AM

Bread is not for birds Throwing bread to the ducks is the simple sort of pleasure that parents love to pass on to their children, but now experts are throwing cold water on the practice. Bread, they say, holds little nutritional value for birds. 5/14/2008 6:57:40 AM

Scientists Investigate Recent Coyote Attacks on Children The coyote was limping as it approached a girl in a sand box at a public park — but it was still dangerous. It snapped its jaws on the girl's buttocks and her nanny had to pry the toddler from the wild animal. 5/14/2008 6:53:02 AM

Pandas Safe After Chinese Earthquake All the pandas at the world's most famous panda preserve were reported safe late Tuesday, more than a day after China's worst earthquake in three decades closed off the remote, mountainous area. 5/14/2008 6:51:20 AM

Kelowna puts contract out on Bunnies An unknown number of rabbits will be killed under a controversial bunny-control program approved Monday by Kelowna city council. Council awarded a $54,000, one-year contract for a rabbit-control plan that includes both culling and live trapping. 5/14/2008 6:31:01 AM

Disabled man wants gov't to subsidize pet therapy In his struggle with mental illness, Jerry L'Homme's best therapy is his cat, Mocha. Now he'd like the B.C. government to help him pay Mocha's medical bills. The 57-year-old Vancouver man has been bipolar since childhood. 5/14/2008 5:47:01 AM