SANTIAGO, Chile -- About 2,500 penguins en route to their Antarctic mating grounds could be sickened by a diesel fuel spill from a Canadian cruise ship that struck an iceberg and sank last week.

A marine biologist says areas surrounding the almost two km-long spill site include breeding grounds for Antarctic and Adelia penguins, and the largest mating colony for Papua penguins.

Maria Jose Rosello, a Chilean marine biologist, says: "The danger is that this fuel spill will impede the journey that species like Papua penguins make at this time of year.

80 captive-bred gharials - a crocodile-like reptile - in the Chambal river to further develop the area for adventure tourism and conservation of the critically endangered specie. 'We plan to release at least 270 more,' said an official, adding that by

Imagine a region almost twice the size of England; imagine it as an African savannah, at the height of the summer, and as an infinite water lake, with no signs of human presence and very few signs of vegetable life, most of the year.