El Niño Ventures Inc. Announces $2,000,000 Non-Brokered Private Placement

VANCOUVER, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - El Niño Ventures Inc. ("ELN" and the "Company") (TSX.V: ELN; Frankfurt: E7Q; OTCQX: ELNOF) is pleased to announce a non-brokered flow-through and non flow-through private placement of up to a combined 18,181,818 units for gross proceeds up to $2,000,000.

Each non flow-through unit ("NFT Unit") at a price of $0.11 per NFT Unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one non-transferable share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.21 per share for 18 months from closing, subject to an accelerated expiry, such expiry being accelerated to 30 days in the event the Company's shares have closed at or above a price of $0.40 per share for 10 consecutive trading days on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Each flow-through unit ("FT Unit") will consist of one common flow-through share in the capital of the Company and one-half of one non flow-through, non-transferable share purchase warrant at a price of $0.13 per FT Unit. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional non flow-through common share of the Company at $0.23 for a period of 18 months from closing subject to an accelerated expiry, such expiry being accelerated to 30 days in the event the Company's shares have closed at or above a price of $0.40 per share for 10 consecutive trading days on the TSX Venture Exchange. The private placement and any finder's fees payable are subject to regulatory approval.

The proceeds of this private placement will be used to fund the 2012 exploration budget at the Murray Brook Polymetallic project in Bathurst, New Brunswick and general working capital.


About El Niño Ventures Inc. Bathurst Projects

1. Bathurst Mining Camp Project: (Tri-Party Agreement)

Consists of an initial 4,712 claims in the Tri‐Party Agreement with Xstrata & VM Canada whereby VM Canada may incur exploration expenditures of $10 million over a period of 5 years to earn a 50% interest. VM Canada may further increase its interest to 70% by spending an additional $10 million over 2 years.

2. Murray Brook Project:

The Murray Brook project, which has an excellent infrastructure, is the fifth largest, massive-sulfide deposit in the Bathurst Mining Camp. VMC can earn up to a 50% interest in the Murray Brook Project by funding $2,250,000 of exploration expenditures over a period of 3 years. ELN has elected to participate by paying 50% of VMC's exploration costs. VMC and ELN have a second option to acquire a further 20% by incurring an additional $2.5 million in exploration costs.

In 2011, ELN and VMC spent $2.1 million on exploration; and completed 10,000 meters of drilling. Drill results to date have been very encouraging. A recently completed (February 2012) NI 43‐101 Mineral Resource Estimate for the Murray Brook Zn‐Cu‐Pb‐Ag‐Au deposit, which includes explanatory footnotes, is presented below. The resource estimate is based on various assumptions regarding mining methods, processing and metal recoveries, payable metal NSR credits and metal prices. This estimate makes no provision for capital costs to mine the deposit, nor mill the material mined, as resources are not reserves and the reader should not presume economic viability.


Table-1 Murray Brook Mineral Resource Estimate Summary

Category 	NSR Cut­
Off $/t 	Tonnes 	Cu%
	Pb%
	Zn% 	Au g/t 	Ag g/t
Measured 	$20 	1,621,000 	0.27 	1.19 	3.53 	0.50 	44.1
Indicated 	$20 	17,063,000 	0.43 	0.93 	2.52 	0.51 	38.8
M + 1 	$20 	18,684,000 	0.42 	0.95 	2.61 	0.51 	39.3
Inferred 	$20 	3,021,000 	0.62 	0.75 	1.83 	0.75 	35.0

Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.

1. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred resources as an Indicated or Measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an Indicated or Measured mineral resource category.

2. The mineral resources in this news release were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standard Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council.

3. The Dec 31, 2011 two year trailing average US metal prices used in this estimate were $3.71/lb Cu, $1.03/lb Pb, $0.98/lb Zn, $1,397/oz Au, $27.63/oz Ag. The C$/US$ Exchange rate was 0.99.

4. Overall payable metal in the NSR calculation were 81% Cu, 72% Pb, 64% Zn, 71% Au and 56% Ag.

5. Mineral resources were determined within a Whittle pit shell with 45 degree slopes utilizing mining costs of C$2.50/tonne for mineralized material and waste rock, and C$1.75/tonne for overburden.

6. Costs used to determine the C$20/tonne NSR resource cut-off value were processing at C$15/tonne and G&A C$5/tonne.

7.Puritch, P.Eng. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc.


About El Niño Ventures Inc.

El Niño Ventures Inc. is an international exploration company, focused on exploring for lead, zinc, copper, gold and silver in New Brunswick, Canada and copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC").


On Behalf of the Board of Directors

(signed)
Harry Barr
Chairman & CEO
El Niño Ventures Inc.



Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements. Note: This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results and are based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses words such as "continue", "efforts", "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "confident", "intend", "strategy", "plan", "will", "estimate", "project", "goal", "target", "prospects", "optimistic" or similar expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company's ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make available adequate current public information, additional or different regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed, and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.



For further information:

Tel: +1 604 685 1870 Fax: +1 604 685 8045
Email: info@elninoventures.com or visit www.elninoventures.com
650-555 West 12th Avenue, City Square, West Tower, Vancouver,
B.C., Canada, V5Z 3X7