A carriage horse collapsed from exhaustion on Rome’s Ponte Cavour bridge in temperatures above 30°C, according to the city’s animal welfare commissioner, Patrizia Prestipino, who posted video of the incident. The animal was one of the last 16 licensed horse-drawn carriages, known as botticelle, still operating in the Italian capital. Prestipino declared the city “no longer suitable” for the practice, and municipal authorities confirmed they are negotiating to convert the remaining carriage licences into taxi permits, though some drivers are resisting the buyout in hopes of better terms.

Elsewhere in Italy, the pressures of mass tourism produced two further confrontations. In Cortina d’Ampezzo, a helicopter rescue was delayed after a group of tourists used the designated landing zone for sunbathing, provincial police said. The incident prompted the Veneto region, Belluno province and Cortina municipality to launch reinforced patrols on hiking trails, with ten additional monthly deployments planned through September. Officers will target illegal camping, littering and inappropriate footwear, and fines are possible. In Venice, an 18-year-old tourist from Reggio Emilia was detained after twice climbing onto the roof of a vaporetto water bus to pose for social media footage. Mayor Simone Venturini called the act “uncivilised” and said the city would pursue a zero-tolerance policy, with authorities examining whether to seek damages for harm to Venice’s image.

In Melbourne, a man scaled the 140-metre Bolte Bridge tower, painted a large cartoon bird resembling the “Pam the Bird” graffiti figure, and blocked peak-hour traffic. Police deployed patrol, search-and-rescue and water units. According to local media reports, the man requested a peanut butter sandwich be delivered by drone before descending; it remains unconfirmed whether he is the same individual facing more than 200 graffiti-related charges in the city. An Instagram account shared footage of the climber sitting with his legs dangling over the edge.

On the Buttala-Kataragama road in Sri Lanka, a wild elephant known locally as Raja has been stopping vehicles and extending his trunk toward windows in search of bananas and snacks. The behaviour, captured in a BBC Earth video viewed over 16 million times, is treated by regular drivers as a customary toll: many stop at roadside fruit stalls to buy offerings. Local residents describe the elephant with respect, and no injuries have been reported. Investigations into the Melbourne bridge incident are ongoing; in Sri Lanka, no action is expected against the elephant.