What not to put under tree

Christmas gift buyers keen to enjoy a guilt-free holiday season should avoid coral jewellery, crocodile skin and Beluga caviar, says the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Its top-10 list of worst presents also includes any tiger products - whether for traditional Asian medicine, souvenirs or good-luck charms - ivory, and cactus.

Caspian Sea sturgeon, the source of Beluga caviar, face extinction due to illegal plunder and the product should be bought only in jars certified by CITES, the United Nation's agency fighting trade in endangered species, the WWF warned.

High fashion shahtoosh scarves woven from the hair of Tibetan antelopes should be avoided altogether. "To obtain the wool, the antelope has to be killed."

A flourishing illegal trade in cactus species, particularly from Mexico, was wiping out native populations.

Finally, the WWF warns that appliances such as televisions and stereos consume large amounts of electricity while on standby, creating a drain on energy that was a threat to the environment.

- REUTERS