Call of the wild

VIKAS S. KHATRI

In 1997 United Nations postal authorities issued a series of stamps depicting animals and birds that require concern for their proteciton.

Wild African elephants (Loxodonta africana) live only in Africa, south of the Sahara. There are two types of African elephants - bush and forest elephants. Bush elephants, which live in Cameroon, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Ivory Coast, and other countries of central and western Africa. Both kinds of African elephants inhabit forests, grasslands, mountains, swamps and shrubby areas.

Pink cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri) has a magnificient fan-shaped crest of scarlet white-edged features. In Australia's forests it feeds on plant seeds and with its fairly smal bill digs roots and tubers.

Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are dull yellow with black feet and tail tips, and a "mask" of around their eyes. They prey on prairie dogs for food and live in burrows that are made by the dogs.

Mountain lion (felix concolor) is a large wild animal of the cat family. It lives throughout much of Mexico,Central America and southward to the tip of South America.

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