A tree planted in Los Angeles to honour former Beatle George Harrison has been killed – by beetles.

The pine grew to more than 3.7 metres before succumbing to a bark beetle infestation, after which it had to be removed, councillor Tom LaBonge said. It will be replanted in the autumn.

After Harrison’s 2001 death in LA, the pine was planted near Griffith Observatory. A small plaque at the base commemorates the guitarist and songwriter, who had a deep appreciation of gardening.

Eight-foot boa constrictor missing

Small children in Lancashire, England, could be at risk from a missing eight-foot boa constrictor snake, police have warned.

The reptile was reported missing from an address in Skelmersdale. Lancashire Constabulary said boa constrictors are not venomous and are not usually aggressive but the snake could pose a risk to small children or pets by wrapping itself around them to seek warmth.

Experts have advised that the boa, which does not like noise, is likely to have gone to ground to find somewhere to sleep.

Moose gored by gothic-style fence

Municipal officials in Alaska’s largest city are considering outlawing gothic-style metal fences after five moose were gored to death in recent years.

The Anchorage Assembly will hold a public hearing on August 5 to consider regulating metal palisade fences with spiked pointed tips. The fences stand 1.2 metres to 1.8 metres high and are usually found around private residences for security and aesthetic reasons. State wildlife biologists say moose get caught up, or gored by the tips when they try to jump over them.

The proposal would outlaw such fences shorter than 2.7 metres, unless the tips are removed or the spikes capped.

British Zoo gets special deliveries

A zoo is celebrating the birth of a pair of rare leopards.

Twycross Zoo said the Amur leopard cubs, which are yet to be named, are settling in well. The cubs have been seen happily playing with each other and mother Kristen in their outdoor enclosure at the zoo on the Leicestershire/ Warwickshire border.

The zoo said the arrival of the cubs represented a significant step forward in ensuring the survival of the species. Two-year-old Kristen was brought to the UK from a Czech Republic zoo in 2013 as part of an international breeding programme of the species.

Fleeing away into police academy

A man who fled after being stopped by traffic officers in Mississippi was apparently so focused on getting away that he unknowingly ran into a police academy.

Roger Beasley Jr was stopped by officers on US 90 in Biloxi, and promptly jumped from his vehicle and ran, a spokesman said.

According to police, the 30-year-old did not notice marked police cars outside the Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy. He ran into the building while training was in session – and was arrested.

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