I love to travel, mainly to Africa where I was born, I enjoy reading and playing bridge. I go for rambles in the countryside. I collect stamps and go to T'ai Chi classes. I love my two cats and my garden birds. I adore the African wildlife and try to help Conservation groups.
Elephants' jumbo mirror ability.
The study used very large mirrors. Elephants can recognise their own reflection, showing self-awareness seen before only in humans, great apes and bottlenose dolphins, scientists say. US researchers made the discovery by studying the behaviour of Asian elephants in front of a tall mirror.
One of the animals repeatedly touched a white cross painted on her forehead - a classic test used to assess mirror self-recognition in children and apes. The study is reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "We see highly complex behaviours such as self awareness and self-other distinction in intelligent animals with well-established social systems," said Joshua Plotnik, from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. "The social complexity of the elephant, its well-known altruistic behaviour and, of course, its huge brain, made the elephant a logical candidate species for testing in front of a mirror."
Many animals will respond to a mirror but very few show any evidence that they recognise themselves in the reflection. Canines, for example, will react to the "other dog" and will even look behind the mirror to try to find it.
The Asian elephants in this study also displayed this type of behaviour when standing in front of a 2.5m-by-2.5m mirror - they inspected the rear and brought food close to the mirror for consumption. But one of the elephants, called "Happy", went to the next level: she began repeatedly touching a painted "X" on her head with her trunk.
The mark could only be seen in the mirror, and the elephant ignored another mark made with colourless paint that was also on her forehead to ensure she was not merely reacting to a smell or feeling. While only one elephant passed the mark-touching test, the researchers note that fewer than half of chimpanzees tested typically pass this test.
"Elephants have been tested in front of mirrors before but previous studies used relatively small mirrors kept out of the elephants' reach," said Plotnik. "This study is the first to test the animals in front of a huge mirror they could touch, rub against and try to look behind."
Co-researcher Frans de Waal said: "As a result of this study, the elephant now joins a cognitive elite among animals commensurate with its well-known complex social life and high level of intelligence. "Although elephants are far more distantly related to us than the great apes, they seem to have evolved similar social and cognitive capacities, making complex social systems and intelligence part of this picture. "These parallels between humans and elephants suggest a convergent cognitive evolution possibly related to complex sociality and cooperation." The study, conducted with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), used elephants housed at the Bronx Zoo in New York.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Zoo celebrating rare dove birth.
A rare Mexican bird that died out in the wild in the 70s has been successfully bred at London Zoo. The Socorro dove is native to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands, 600 miles off the west coast of Mexico. The species was last sighted in Socorro in 1972 and there are now thought to be fewer than 100 in captivity.
Zoo keepers have named the new dove, Arnie - after Arnold Schwarzenegger. They hope successful captive breeding will increase their numbers. John Ellis, The Zoological Society of London's Curator of Birds, said: "This is an enormous success for London Zoo and a real tribute to the hard work and expertise of our keepers.
"I would like to think that this captive breeding success marks a change in the fortunes of the Socorro dove, and we are delighted to be playing our part in the reintroduction programme." The species died out after falling prey to a rising number of feral cats. They were hunted by humans for food and overgrazing by sheep also destroyed much of their forest floor habitat.
As part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria breeding programme, it is hoped Arnie's descendants will eventually be reintroduced into the forests of Socorro.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Wild bird trade ban 'should stay'.
The RSPB fears the ban on imports of wild birds may be lifted.A temporary ban on importing wild birds into the UK to prevent the spread of bird flu should remain in place, conservationists have said. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) claims the ban has saved hundreds of thousands of exotic birds from death or a life in captivity. It was imposed when imported birds died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu while in quarantine in Essex in October 2005.
The RSPB says it now fears the ban could be lifted. "The import ban has thrown thousands and perhaps millions of birds a lifeline and it would be a tragedy if the ban were to be lifted when it is reviewed in December," said Sacha Cleminson, senior European advocacy officer at the RSPB. "We already know that this could happen because the EU is under pressure from some of the countries that export exotic birds.
"If these states can prove that seizing wild birds does not reduce their numbers, there might be grounds for resuming a limited trade. But there is little evidence to prove this and if we are to stop birds from going extinct, the ban should be made permanent until there is."
The RSPB says the pet trade is threatening 60% of the world's 350 parrot species, and one in 10 of the 1,200 bird species now at risk of extinction. The EU is responsible for 87% of the trade in birds listed by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This amounts to about one million birds annually. The trade in non-CITES birds is thought to be even greater.
The RSPB says wild bird populations are falling largely because of habitat loss and because of poor controls on numbers taken from nests in Africa, South America and Asia. Julian Hughes, head of species policy at the RSPB said: "Too many birds are taken too often because what curbs there are, are ignored. All countries are responsible for the conservation of their wildlife and those states with the most sought after birds have the greatest responsibility of all, Mr Hughes added.
"Up to 60% of birds caught for the pet trade die before they reach their destination. This is an horrific toll, particularly when almost every bird wanted as a pet could be bred in captivity in the UK."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Breeding success for rare lizards.
Wild blue iguanas are not expected to survive another decade. Conservationists are celebrating success in a captive-breeding programme that aims to save the world's rarest lizard from extinction. Three eggs laid by a Grand Cayman blue iguana that had been released into a nature reserve on the Caribbean island have successfully hatched.
Since 2004, 219 captive-bred iguanas have been released in an attempt to save the crtically endangered species. The wild population of blue iguanas is expected to be extinct within 10 years. "The animals we released in 2004 are now coming into sexual maturity," said Matt Goetz, deputy head of herpetology at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. The hatched eggs are a sign of the breeding programme's success "This year, we were delighted to discover three nests within the nature reserve," he added.
The Jersey-based trust is one of the six permanent partners of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme, which has been operating since 1990. The scheme releases iguanas into the island's Salina nature reserve when the animals are about two or three years old, once they are large enough not to be eaten by snakes. "We can now confirm that all three eggs in one of these nests have hatched, which marks a major step forward in securing the survival of these animals," Mr Goetz said. "Hopefully, the eggs laid at the other sites will be following suit soon."
Blue iguanas (Cyclura lewisi) are classified as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The union's Red List of threatened species says the main threat to the species is the destruction of its habitat. Between 1993-2002, land occupied by the creatures halves, and the wild population fell by 80%.
The conversion of traditional fruit farms to cattle grazing areas, illegal capture and non-native predators such as cats and dogs are the main threats. The IUCN says the unmanaged wild population is expected to become extinct within the next decade because these threats remain.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Australian racehorse 'poisoned' .
Phar Lap was a hero to the nation during the Great Depression. The mystery surrounding the fate of Australia's most famous racehorse looks set to have been solved - 74 years after his death. Scientists say that tests show Phar Lap was poisoned by arsenic while he was at the peak of his career in 1932.
The legendary horse collapsed and died in agony in California, hours before a race he was widely tipped to win. US gangsters are long believed to have ordered the death, amid fears he would cause big losses to illegal bookmakers.
Australian scientists used particle accelerator technology to closely analyse preserved strands of Phar Lap's hair. They concluded that the five-year-old New Zealand-bred chestnut had been given a lethal dose of arsenic 35 hours before his death. "We've made observations which could be explained by poison. We can't otherwise explain it," Australian Synchrotron Research Program scientist Ivan Kempson told local media.
He said the findings added weight to the gangster poisoning theory, but warned: "You will never get a 100% definite answer". Phar Lap - which means lightning in Thai - was a sporting hero in Australia during the Great Depression era, winning 37 of his 51 starts, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup.
He had won the rich Agua Caliente race in Mexico just days before his trainer found him in severe pain, with blood pouring from his lungs in California. He died hours later. Phar Lap's heart lies in the National Museum in Canberra, while his preserved body is on display at the Melbourne Museum.
BBC NEWS REPORT
Iceland violates ban on whaling
Iceland says fin whales are plentiful in its coastal waters.Iceland has broken a 21-year-old international moratorium on commercial whaling by killing a fin whale - an endangered species. The whale was caught by the Hvalur 9 whaling vessel about 200 miles (320 km) west of Iceland.
TV footage showed the creature, which measured 20m (65ft) in length, being brought ashore at a landing station.
The move follows the country's announcement last week that it planned to resume commercial hunting of whales. Norway is the only other nation that allows commercial whaling. Japan says it hunts for scientific research.
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling under a moratorium imposed in 1985. Iceland is a member of the IWC, having rejoined in 2002 after a 10-year absence.
But in a statement on 17 October, Iceland's fisheries ministry announced its new plans.Whaling vessels would take nine fin whales and 30 minke whales each year, the ministry said, adding that catches would remain within sustainable limits. Fin whales are listed as an endangered species by the World Conservation Union, but Iceland maintains numbers are high enough in its coastal waters to permit hunting.
The announcement has angered conservation groups and anti-whaling nations, with some talking of a legal challenge. It has also had an effect on the country's tourism industry, with cancellations reported by whale-watching companies. "We have received several e-mails from people saying they have decided not to visit Iceland as long as Iceland is conducting whaling," Thorunn Harvardottir, who runs a whale-watching company, told AFP news agency.
The European Commission has urged Iceland to reconsider its decision.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Rabbits 'destroy' seabird habitat.
King penguins have been killed in landslides. Rabbits are destroying the habitat of threatened seabirds on a remote Australian island and should be culled, the environmental group WWF has warned. Rabbits are stripping Macquarie Island, near Antarctica, of its grasses causing landslides and destroying nesting sites for penguins and albatrosses, WWF said.
The group has been joined by the Australian Greens party in urging an immediate cull of the pests. Rabbits were introduced to the island by European sealers in the 1800s. The population of rabbits has swollen in the last two decades to more than 100,000, WWF says. The rabbits have stripped entire hillsides of native tussock grasses that seabirds use for shelter and nesting.
The island, 1500km (932 miles) south-east of Tasmania, is an important breeding ground for almost four million seabirds, including two threatened albatross species. Rabbits are denuding hillsides causing landslides. "Albatrosses are extremely faithful to their sites and are unlikely to breed anywhere else if their habitat is lost," said Julie Kirkwood, WWF's policy officer for invasive species.
Macquarie Island, which is about 34km (21 miles) long and 5km (three miles) wide, is also a breeding ground for about 850,000 pairs of royal penguins and 100,000 seals. It was listed as a World Heritage area by the United Nations in 1997.
A recent landslide caused by loss of grass cover on one hillside destroyed half the nests on one albatross site, WWF said. And 20 landslides were reported on the island in one month, killing a number of king penguins and their chicks, the group reports.
Rats and mice are also increasing in number and are eating young seabirds in their nests.
Last week, the Australian Greens joined the WWF's call for a rabbit and rodent eradication plan to be implemented on the island at a cost of $7.5m (£4m).
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Snoring horse has life-saving op.
A horse renowned for its "foghorn" snoring is breathing easy after a life-saving operation. Rescue horse Rocky used to keep his stablemates awake with his ear-splitting snores. After several treatments failed to work, vets discovered a massive cyst, the size of a human hand, lodged deep in his nose. The 12-year-old Friesian Cross is now making a good recovery at his home at Belwade Farm in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. Rocky was driving staff and fellow horses mad with his drones, which could be heard up to two fields away.
To the relief of his owner Eileen Gillen the cyst was benign. Miss Gillen, who runs a charity horse rehabilitation centre at the farm, said staff first noticed a problem at the beginning of the year when Rocky developed a persistently runny nose. She said: "The longer it went on, the louder his snoring got until it was really loud, like a foghorn. "It was even happening when he was awake. You could be standing two fields away and you could still hear it."
Conventional treatments failed and in June Miss Gillen referred Rocky to the Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh. When vets took X-rays and scans they discovered a huge mass in his nasal cavities was obstructing his breathing and causing the snoring. Rocky had the surgery under general anaesthetic, which is common for humans but can be very dangerous for horses, Miss Gillen said.
She added: "He is now making a slow but sure recovery and the staff and animals at the centre are getting a much more peaceful night's sleep."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Royal row over Russian bear fate.
The bear was allegedly fed vodka mixed with honey A Russian official has claimed that a tame bear was plied with honey and vodka before being shot dead by King Juan Carlos of Spain. The official alleged that the king had killed the bear during a private visit to Russia earlier this year.
"It's not hunting - it's murder," Sergei Starostin, deputy head of Vologda region's hunting resources department told AFP news agency. A Spanish monarchy spokesman said the claims were "ridiculous". "We have no comment to make because this story is totally ridiculous and the source is sensationalist," a palace spokesman told AP news agency.
The palace said it would not confirm or deny that the king had been on a hunting trip during his visit to Russia. Vyacheslav Pozgalyov, governor of the Vologda region - some 400km (250 miles) from Moscow - has set up a working group to look into the allegations, according to AP. The bear - called Mitrofan - is said to have been taken from his home at a local holiday camp, put into a cage, and transported to the hunting grounds. The King is a keen hunter.
Mr Starostin, in a letter to the Russian business daily Kommersant, said his captors "generously fed him with vodka mixed with honey and pushed him into a field". "Naturally, a heavy, drunken animal became an easy target. His Highness Juan Carlos took Mitrofan out with one shot," Mr Starostin said in the letter.
A campaigner from conservation group WWF Russia played down the report and said he had not heard of such hunting practices in recent years. "It used to happen maybe 10 years ago with the nouveau riche Russians," Alexei Weizman told AFP agency.
During the Russian trip, the king met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a resort on the Black Sea coast.
The king is reported to have undertaken hunting trips in Romania and in Poland in 2004. Former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev - another keen hunter - is said to have shot some animals which had been plied with alcohol, or tied to trees.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Green plan for suffering wildlife.
Milder winters are affecting the hibernation patterns of dormice. Grass-covered bridges could be placed across motorways to help the survival of wildlife. Wildlife trusts are planning a network of green spaces linking existing habitats, so certain species can travel to join larger groups of their kind. Animals such as dormice suffer the effects of climate change as warmer winters affect their hibernation.
Richard Moyse, from Kent Wildlife Trust, said the planned strategy would be released later in the year. Mr Moyse, head of conservation and policy at the trust, told the BBC News website the idea came from Holland where a network was in use which included "green" bridges covered with undergrowth and placed across motorways. "Because wildlife habitats are isolated in our agricultural landscape, species have too much land to cross. We want to create corridors and stepping stones through the landscape so species can shift."
He said the idea was specifically designed to help land creatures, with reptiles, mammals and insects all suffering from the effects of climate change, and would take years to complete. Areas such as wetland, wildflower meadows and hedgerows take decades to develop.
The plans would help the silver-spotted skipper. Mr Moyse said mild winters can be beneficial for birds, but they are detrimental to the welfare of hibernating animals like dormice. "Warm weather in winter speeds up their metabolism and they die because it uses up their energy... the impact of climate change on small nature reserves can be quite intense."
Wildlife trusts also intend to expand existing nature reserves, which would help insects such as butterflies. South-facing reserves would need to have an area which was north-facing if summers became too hot for butterflies, said Mr Moyse. Butterflies which thrive on chalk land would also be catered for, with more reserves containing chalk grass created to allow species such as the adonis blue and silver-spotted skipper to move around.
Howard Park, Wildlife Trusts spokesman, said land would be bought to create the "green corridors" but he also hoped there would be generous benefactors.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Winter home find cheers twitchers.
Bird charities are ecstatic after identifying the winter home of the northern bald ibis, a critically endangered species. Three birds have now been followed by satellite tags from their summer grounds in Syria to Ethiopia.
Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) describes the find as a "major breakthrough". It says the ibis is the rarest bird in the Middle East; exact numbers are unknown but could be under 1,000.
The internationally-recognised Red List of Threatened Species categorises the northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) as critically endangered because of habitat loss, farming, human encroachment and pollution.
There are thought to be only two surviving summer populations, one in Syria and one in Morocco. Its range used to extend into Europe.
"Knowing where these birds go and how they get there is a major breakthrough," said Chris Bowden, a bald ibis specialist with RSPB. "This has answered a big question mark that remained for this species, and one that we feared we might never resolve."
Scientists followed the birds by tagging them with satellite transmitters. Images of Thoth, the "ibis god", are found on tombs of some Pharaohs. Three tagged ibis, nicknamed Sultan, Salam and Zenobia, turned up in Ethiopia, as did one untagged member of the same group. Getting there entailed a journey of 3,100km (1,900 miles). The location surprised researchers who had been looking for them further north.
"As we searched, we were not getting any signals from the transmitters, so finding the birds in such a remote area was a wonderful surprise," said Mengistu Wondafrash from the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society. "We will be doing all we can to implement conservation measures to help increase the numbers of this rare but special bird."
The ibis is familiar to Egyptologists from images of Thoth, the "ibis god", found on tombs of some Pharaohs.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
"DOGS COME WHEN THEY ARE CALLED;
CATS TAKE A MESSAGE
AND GET BACK TO YOU"!
~ Cynthia E Varnado ~
Microchips for Mumbai elephants
Elephants are used for religious ceremonies in India. Elephants in India's financial capital Mumbai are to receive microchip 'licence plates' to crack down on begging and traffic problems. The plan follows concern about the welfare of Mumbai's elephants, which are mainly used in religious functions. Four elephants are legally registered in Mumbai, but locals believe up to a dozen could be living in the city. The implants cost 200 rupees ($4.40) and will be ready to be implanted into the animals' ears over the next month.
Sarfaraz Khan, the deputy conservator of forests for Mumbai's Thane district, told BBC News that illegal elephants had become a problem for locals. "Some illegal elephants enter the city. They cause some traffic problems and sometimes they scare some people, also they indulge in begging sometimes. "These people who have them legally do not create as much problems," he said. Mr Khan said that it was necessary to use the rice grain-sized implants because some elephant owners had been faking their registration certificates by taking photocopies of other owners' licences.
He said similar registration schemes had been trialled on ceremonial animals elsewhere in India. A 30-year-old elephant was killed by traffic in Mumbai last month. "It has been done earlier on leopards also, not in Mumbai but in Kerala." The issue has gained prominence in recent weeks after Lakshmi, a 30-year-old elephant used for religious ceremonies, was allegedly struck and killed by a drunk driver.
The incident prompted Bollywood actor Rahul Khanna, a patron of India's branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), to call for elephants to be banned from the city.
The proposal was echoed by Suresh Kadam, assistant secretary of the Bombay[CORR NOT MUMBAI] Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Mumbai is a commercial place. People are using these elephants for begging purposes. The roadsides are narrow and not sufficient to leave space for the elephant. "We would like to ban these elephants here so that they can return to their natural environment." He said that the deaths of elephants in Mumbai were not uncommon. Another elephant had been killed in 2002 after being struck by traffic.
Elephants are popular in India because of their resemblance to the elephant-headed god Ganesh, one of the most prominent deities in the Hindu pantheon. They are commonly used in processions, and are also hired for weddings, inaugurations and political rallies. There are no wild elephants in Maharashtra state and most of those found in Mumbai are transported or driven on foot from the forests of Bihar, 1,500km to the northeast..
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Sharks swim into political waters.
By Phil Mercer BBC News, Sydney.
Grey nurse shark numbers declined rapidly in the 50s, 60s and 70s. They are known affectionately as the "Labradors of the ocean", but grey nurse sharks are facing a fight for survival in Australia. It is estimated there are fewer than 500 of these docile creatures left in Australian waters. Most live off the east coast.
Despite its fearsome appearance, the grey nurse (Carcharias taurus) is not a man-eater. Environmentalists have said their numbers continue to fall despite the grey nurse shark being a protected species, which it has been since 1984. Blame is laid at the feet - or rather the hooks - of fishermen who inadvertently catch them.
Conservationists and scientists have held what they have described as "crisis talks" in Sydney. They are now threatening legal action to force the country's political leaders to do more. "The grey nurse shark situation is critical," warned Ian Cohen, a Green member of the New South Wales state parliament.
"We're likely to see the demise of this species on the east coast of Australia in the next 10 to 15 years. It is really a desperate situation when we look at the continued threat through both recreational and professional fishing practices," he told the BBC.
Fishing hooks are a major hazard for the grey nurse sharks.Mr Cohen accuses the New South Wales state government of caring more about retaining power than the environment. "Leading up to an election next year [the government] has an eye on the voting power of the recreational fishing lobby," he said.
There are 16 key grey nurse shark habitats dotted along the coast of New South Wales, from the tourist haven at Byron Bay south to the rugged beauty of Montague Island.
Wildlife campaigners want the authorities to establish a 1.5km-wide "sanctuary zone" around these critical aggregation sites. They are demanding a complete ban on fishing, arguing that there would be plenty of alternative areas to satisfy fishermen and women.
The grey nurse is listed as an endangered species under Australian law. Conservationists have insisted that the state and federal governments have failed to fulfil their legal obligations.
Nicola Beynon, from Humane Society International, said protecting sensitive habitats could not happen soon enough: "This is the time when we have a chance of turning around the specie's fortunes on the east coast and if we don't seize it now then extinction's going to be inevitable. She added: "The grey nurse shark is a top predator in the ocean, so it's very important in terms of the well-being of coastal marine eco-systems.
"It's not just a case of saving it for its own sake; we need to save sharks for the role that they play in keeping the oceans healthy. In effect, protecting the grey nurse shark is also beneficial to the fishing industry because it keeps the ocean that they depend on healthy and productive." If environmentalists were hoping for a positive response from the New South Wales government they have been disappointed.
The State Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, accused his critics of scare-mongering. "I think that they're talking a lot of nonsense and exaggerating the situation rather dramatically," he told Australian radio.
The adults will reach up to four metres in length. The minister said he was considering introducing shark sanctuaries at five grey nurse sites and that he was not fazed by the threat of legal action. "Our view is we have the measures in place and it would be a complete waste of money by the green groups to be running off to the courts," he said. "We are spending a lot of money on the breeding programme. If we're able to complete this successfully, it will have a dramatic impact on the survival of the shark, not only in Australia but overseas."
Australia's federal government also said it was doing all it could to protect this relatively placid and ragged-tooth shark.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Hollywood pets seek fame in court
A group of Los Angeles animal lovers convinced their pets were destined for fame are launching legal action against an animal training company.
The owners of Goliath the Rottweiler, Rusty the pitbull, Milo the basenji and Poopsie the Lhasa apso took their pets to Hollywood Paws in a bid for stardom.
The company offers media training aimed at winning parts in films and on TV.
Disgruntled owners say they paid large fees for no tangible reward, although the company says nothing is guaranteed.
Goliath's owner Rebecca Armstrong said she spotted her dog's natural talent at an early age.
Excited by his "cool" and "mellowness", she enrolled Goliath at Hollywood Paws, run by Larry Lionetti.
But she was left angry after paying out some $2,000 (£1,062) with little to show for her money - except a fleeting appearance on Tyra Banks' TV chat show eventually cut before broadcast.
"I lost a lot of money," Ms Armstrong said.
Lawyer Cynthia Mulvihill, representing the pet owners, said the animals put in for media training were like family to their devoted owners.
"He was only about six months old, and he could already do half a dozen things," he told the Los Angeles Times, adding that his wife wanted to see their dog on TV.
"Like you want to see your kid on TV. The same thing."
Mr Lionetti, who insists that some of his clients have won lucrative roles, maintains that the final say rests with producers and directors.
"Everybody knows down in your town that there are actors and actresses waiting on tables until a part comes along.
"Who in LA doesn't know this?"
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Australian 'Labor tree' poisoned.
The tree was a landmark in Barcaldine. An historic tree in Australia famed for being the birthplace of the centre-left Labor party has died after being poisoned, party officials say. The Tree of Knowledge in the Queensland town of Barcaldine was officially declared dead after it was poisoned with herbicide earlier in the year. The Eucalyptus tree, called a gum tree in Australia, was where sheep shearers met for a landmark strike in 1891. The Labor party's leader said the tree may be dead but its values lived on.
"The men that stood under that Tree of Knowledge basically were fighting for a fair day's work for a fair day's pay, a basic Aussie value, now under challenge," Kim Beazley said. "So the Tree of Knowledge is dead but the values and the struggle lives on. Just as relevant today as it was for the shearers who met under it.''
The tree - in the centre of Barcaldine - is believed to be around 200 years old and was put on the country's heritage list in 2005. It was officially declared dead by a tree doctor, local Labor Party branch president Pat Ogden said. He said they first noticed something was wrong with the tree in April when its leaves were falling off. Tests showed chemicals had been thrown around its roots.
"Now there's no leaves on it and the limbs are up there in the air just like a ghost," he said. He said the town had seen a rise in tourists wanting to see the tree before it died. "It's an icon of the town, it's an icon of Australia really for the workers," he said.
BBC NEWS REPORT
Birdwatchers in a flap over eagle.
It is hoped that Eddie the eagle will return to Doune. Birdwatchers have been flocking to the Stirling area in the hope of spotting a golden eagle which has made a rare flying visit. The bird was first spotted near Doune last week but has made several return visits over the weekend.
The eagle was seen from a viewing hide normally used to catch a glimpse of the red kites which visit the area.
The bird, which has been called Eddie, was thought to have been a youngster on his first foray away from home.
Return visit hope
Mike McDonnell, an information officer with the Argaty Red Kites project, based at Lerrocks Farm said: "We're obviously used to seeing dozens of kites above the farm. "But when this much larger shape appeared on the horizon I knew I was looking at something special."
In Central Scotland, golden eagles are most often encountered around Loch Lomond and the Dukes Pass, north of Aberfoyle.
This has made the Doune sighting all the more spectacular and it is hoped that Eddie will make a return visit to the area.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Twitchers set for starling skies.
Tens of thousands of starlings come together in huge clouds . Bird watchers are being invited to marvel at the wonder of up to 45,000 starlings swooping over the Sussex coast every evening at dusk. A month-long event has been organised by the RSPB at Brighton seafront to show people the spectacle of the "swirling flocks" gathering to roost.
Spokesman Dan Parkinson said volunteers would be on hand to answer questions.
Starlings first roosted on the West Pier in 1987 after the hurricane blew down trees they had previously used. However, breeding numbers have declined in the UK by 82% in the past 40 years. The RSPB estimates there are about 737,000 breeding pairs, down from an estimated four to seven million pairs between 1968 and 1972.
The RSPB's Aren't Birds Brilliant! event runs from 1730 BST every evening up until 15 October, and then from 1630 BST every evening until 29 October.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
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