THE HAGUE, Netherlands— It could be ivory concealed in a container, cans of caviar in a suitcase or baby chimpanzees in a crate. The smuggling of wildlife goods is a low-risk, high-profit enterprise proving increasingly attractive to crime syndicates.

Exports of wildlife, including fisheries and timber, are estimated at $150 billion to $200 billion a year. The illicit side of the business is likely worth tens of billions of dollars, experts say.

"It's big, and it's getting bigger,'' says Peter Younger of Interpol, the international police

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (TWRA Wildwatch)-The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency announced today that it has successfully completed a state-wide undercover investigative operation targeting individuals who were trafficking in venomous reptiles, resulting in arrests and animal confiscations across the state. 

Since its commencement in September of 2006, “Operation Striking Distance” has resulted in seven persons being arrested or cited within Tennessee, with six more persons to be charged. TWRA officers and investigators have seized more than 100 venomous snakes, alligators, and turtles. 

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The bald eagle, the U.S. national bird whose numbers dwindled in the 1960s, is expected to be removed on Thursday from the list of creatures classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The "de-listing," if it happens as conservationists predict, would be a recognition of remarkable efforts to bring the bald eagle back from the brink, including the banning of the pesticide DDT in

SEATTLE, Wash. — A fisherman had two of his fingertips reattached after cutting them off to free himself from a sinking boat, his employer said Tuesday.

Surgeons told William Messenger that circulation had returned to the severed tips, said David Groves, spokesman for the Washington State Labor Council. A groggy Messenger spoke with the Labor Council from Harborview Medical Center by phone early Tuesday.

Fluke fishermen only need "conditions" to put together a catch in most of the traditional spots now.

The necessary conditions include water temperature in the 60s, and preferably rising, a moderate drift, light winds, and a relatively calm sea.

Capt. Ed Bunting Jr., skipper of the Sea Horse out of Atlantic Highlands, has had those conditions on a number of trips lately, and has landed good catches.

It's a sport that relies on precision, accuracy and concentration. It includes competitors from all over the country, and the participants are willing to spend their own money to travel and compete.

Though skeet shooting is relatively obscure, the sport has a loyal following in Delaware.

"I really enjoy it," said Wilmington resident Mike Stasio, who has been shooting for about 20 years. "It's different from other sports in that we all go out there and push each other. We hope we all excel."

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled against a Wyoming rancher who sued government employees in a dispute over federal access to a road on his land.

Harvey Robbins of Hot Springs County, Wyo., accused half a dozen employees in the Bureau of Land Management of trying to coerce him into granting an easement on a road leading to the Shoshone National Forest.

In a 7-2 ruling, the Court said that Robbins could not sue under the Fifth Amendment.

HELEN, Ga. — A 300-pound black bear raided a family's campsite, and the father saved his sons from harm by throwing a log at the beast, killing it with a single blow.

Chris Everhart and his three sons were camping in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia when the encounter happened Saturday. The bear took the family's cooler and was heading

Iowa-  A national campaign is underway to get Americans to spend this Saturday night out camping. The campaign called the Great American Backyard Campout is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and endorsed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

"We want Iowans to go camping, preferably in a state park, but if not, we would be happy if they stayed in a county park or even in their backyard. We just want Iowans to get outdoors and camp," said Michelle Wilson, with the Iowa DNR. "There are a lot of activities going on in state parks every weekend and during the Great American Backyard Campout day we will have interpreters in 20 of our

POLSON, MO- Pirates appear to be at work on Flathead Lake.

They row in under cover of darkness, loot boats that are moored at docks in Polson Bay, then row back out into open water before firing their engines and disappearing into the night without turning on their running lights.

There are lots of newborn bison and other wildlife at the National Bison Range these days, range managers say, but if you're headed that way pack some extra cash.

As of July 5, access fees for the scenic drives through the refuge are going up.