Officials in northern Siberia have warned that the livelihood of the region's reindeer-herders is under serious threat from the growing number of wolves.

The officials said the wolf population in Russia's northern territories had increased more than five-fold since 1992, and that the wolves had killed more than one-thousand reindeer last month alone.

Correspondents say Russia's wolf-culling programme - which was carried out by helicopter - has been seriously curtailed by shortage of money.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service