Animals injured by fishing litter and thousands in Merseyside have long covid - headlines

A rise in reports of animals injured by discarded fishing litter has prompted the RSPCA to issue a stark warning to new and inexperienced anglers. This comes as the number of calls last year to the charity reporting wildlife injured by angling litter (such as old fishing line, weights and barbed hooks) almost doubled over the summer, rocketing by 97%, with 186 reports in July compared to 94 in January.

New estimates suggest that more than 100,000 people in Cheshire and Merseyside could be suffering from long Covid. The Long Covid SOS charity said more public awareness and research is needed to support those with the 'debilitating' condition. Using the most recent data for the number of people registered with a GP in the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership area, it could mean about 134,600 people aged 16 and older in the area were struggling with lingering health problems from the disease.

A rare black jaguar named Inka has arrived at Chester Zoo as part of a special programme caring for the species across Europe. The two-year-old female jaguar has moved from The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, having been carefully selected as a fitting companion for Chester's resident male jaguar, Napo.