After being chased by villagers and rescued atop a tree, a pregnant tigress was returned to the Sunderbans yesterday, a protected area along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, and one of the few remaining tiger habitats in India. Atanu Raha, West Bengal's chief conservator of forest, said although the tigress received some injuries while being tranquilized and caught, she was treated and found fit to be released in the reserve area.

A gray seal was spotted Saturday morning, walking along the streets of eastern Maine, passing in front of several houses and a horse pasture, then wondered onto one of the highways. Suspected to have come from Whiting Bay, the seal reportedly got on Route 189 in Washington County. It then ran into trouble upon getting on the highway, with its body shape preventing it from proper mobility on the asphalt. Drivers who spotted the animal stopped.

A 61-year old sailor sent out an SOS from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to the most unusual place, his local pub in West Sussex. Alan Thompson, 61, said he fell to the deck of his boat and broke his hip and unable to move when he sent the distress signal to the Bull's Head some 3,000 miles away.

Britain's Duchess of Cornwall has been blamed for "cursing" a luxury cruise liner. Cunard's Ł300 million MS Queen Victoria - which was officially launched by Camilla in Southampton three weeks ago when she failed to successfully smash the champagne bottle on its side - has been struck by a potentially fatal stomach bug.

Six-year-old Justin Daniel Junio successfully swam across a six mile channel in the southern Philippines. After three hours and forty six minutes of swimming in Hilutungan Channel, Cebu's boy swimmer reached Malibago, Lapu-Lapu City safe and sound. Justin was accompanied by his trainer in the water while his father Jose watched him from a navy boat that has been trailing him from the beginning of the swim at the Hilutungan Island.