Small town rallies again to bring giant cockatoos to new home
A small Wheatbelt town in Western Australia is raising the final funds to bring two giant Carnaby’s black cockatoo sculptures 4,500km across the country, after years of community-led fundraising.
The Shire of Moora is halfway to their target of $20,000 to cover fuel costs for transporting the birds – each standing 7.5 metres tall and weighing three quarters of a tonne – as part of a plan to create their own iconic ‘big’ attraction.
The effort marks the final stage of a long-running community project to put Moora on the map and celebrate the region’s endangered cockatoos.
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Final lake completed in Germany’s coal-to-lakes transformation
Germany’s giant network of man-made lakes, created from disused coal mines will reach another milestone stage this month.
The Lusatian Lakeland project will see its final lake completed, marking a major step in a decades-long, €7 billion transformation into a 23-lake system spanning around 14,000 hectares.
The hope is that the former mining region will become a tourist attraction for leisure boating, and serve as water reservoir for the area.
See more here.
Push for sick pet leave to be formalised in Italy
With a growing spotlight on workplace reform in Europe, animal welfare groups are pointing to Italy’s so-called “pet leave” as an example of how employee rights could evolve.
A librarian in Rome first took her claim to court in 2017, arguing that under Italian law, allowing an animal to suffer is a crime, meaning she could not choose between her job and caring for her sick dog.
The case is now being considered precedent for treating pet care as a valid reason for leave.
Read more here.
Pocket watch with Titanic link to go under the hammer
A gold pocket watch linked to a hero of the Titanic disaster is set to go up for auction, with experts expecting it to draw around £100,000.
The watch was awarded to John Richardson, an engineer on a steamship involved in rescuing hundreds of survivors of the 1912 disaster.
The beautiful 10-carat watch is engraved with a dedication to the then-26 year old, with thanks from the steamship’s owners.
Read more here.
