Wolverine poachers arrested

Police in Russia's northern Murmansk region have arrested two men suspected of illegally hunting endangered wolverines. Police caught the two men with a gun and a caged female wolverine, along with a tape showing them poaching the rare species.

The men face a fine of $US 8,500. A wolverine's fur on the black market costs about $US 1,500. The rescued animal is pregnant and will be safely released back into the wild.

The animal is a native of northern forest regions. Some estimates suggest there are only 500 left in the wild in Russia.