Sharnie Kim

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Sharnie Kim

Bruce Schuster pampers his budgerigars with shampoo spritzes and a daily superfood medley. "My wife thinks they're better fed than she is," the 77-year-old says. "It's got all the nice vitamins in there. I've got my greens in there. I grate my carrot, I grate the beetroot and a bit of sweet potato."The retired real estate agent is a three-time national champion budgie breeder and competition judge.

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Sharnie Kim

A Queensland city that had been declared "essentially dengue-free" has recorded its first locally-transmitted case of the mosquito-borne illness in seven years. Cairns, in the state's far north, used to have yearly outbreaks of dengue fever, including one in 2008-'09 which infected nearly 1,000 people. Then in 2011 the Monash University-owned World Mosquito Program (WMP) started releasing large numbers of dengue-resistant mosquitoes in the city which stopped them spreading the virus to humans.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Conor Byrne |Sharnie Kim

A cyclist has died from head injuries after a mountain bike crash on a trail in Far North Queensland. Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) was called to Smithfield Mountain Bike Park at McGregor Road, north of Cairns, at about 10:30am. A QAS spokesperson said the cyclist was not taken to hospital. a Queensland Police spokeswoman confirmed officers attended the scene at about 11:15am "following the sudden non-suspicious death of a 57-year-old man".

Feb 25, 2025 | abc.net.au | Sharnie Kim |Sophie Mcmanus

One of the few Queensland regional councils still providing fluoridated water has voted to stop adding the tooth-strengthening mineral to its water supply. The Cook Shire, which covers much of the vast Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, voted four to three on Tuesday to stop fluoridating the water of its largest centre, Cooktown, which is home to about 3,000 people. Of the state's 77 local government areas only 24 will continue to fluoridate the water.

Feb 18, 2025 | abc.net.au | Sharnie Kim

At least six dogs in North Queensland have died from a bacterial disease in the past few days amid a sharp increase in cases due to recent flooding. The potentially deadly infection leptospirosis — caused by the Leptospira bacteria  — mainly occurs in northern Australia and spreads through water or soil contaminated with urine from infected animals including rats, cattle, pigs and dogs. It can cause kidney and liver failure in humans and animals and can be fatal, even after receiving treatment.