The RSPCA is appealing for information as they investigate the discovery of two puppies found with their mouths taped shut at the weekend at a property in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane.The dogs, believed to be four to five months old, were found dumped in bushland at Chuwar. RSPCA inspectors also found tape residue on their paws, suggesting their legs had also been bound.A member of the public found one of the puppies on Saturday, with the second rescued by an inspector on Sunday with the assistance of the first dog.There is an appeal for information as part of the RSPCA’s animal cruelty investigation into the puppies found with their mouths taped.Credit: RSPCA QueenslandRSPCA Inspectors are urging anyone with information about these puppies to come forward by reporting it to 1300 ANIMAL (264 625) or reporting via its website.“This is one of the most disturbing cases of abandonment we’ve seen,” an RSPCA Queensland chief inspector said in a statement.“These puppies were left defenceless and in a condition that could have easily led to prolonged suffering or death if they had not been found in time.”Latest postsLatest postsThe state government has rejected Fox Coal’s application to develop a proposed coking coal mine in the Bundaberg region.In a statement, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said she found the application was not in the public interest, after a full assessment.Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has rejected a proposed coal mine in Bundaberg.Credit: Jamila Filippone“During the assessment process, many significant community concerns were raised about the potential impacts of a future coal mine on the region’s agricultural industry, water resources, environmental values, liveability, and tourism industry,” she said.The application was first proposed in 2019 and included residential and agricultural land north of Bundaberg.A group of people have been fined after cutting down trees in a national park to build an illegal island holiday hut equipped with a barbecue area and verandah.They constructed the hut on Curtis Island National Park off the central Queensland coast, conducting a range of illegal activities including hunting with firearms before being caught by rangers.The group of 18 people had cleared trees in the national park and used them to make the hut in a remote part of the island off Gladstone, Queensland’s Environment Department said on Monday. They then carried out illegal activities at the hut including the hunting trips, fires in a protected area and bringing pet dogs to the island.A group had cleared trees in an island national park and used them to make a hut, authorities say.Credit: PR handoutSurveillance footage released by the department showed cars driving to the hut towing dinghies, motorbikes driving around the national park and all-terrain vehicles with trailers or strapped with surfboards.Rangers were patrolling the Curtis Island National Park in August 2024 when they discovered the hut, later identifying the 18 people involved. They were issued fines totalling almost $8000, with two people slugged more than $1000 each for their roles.“Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is serious about compliance and anyone who builds an illegal structure in a protected area will be caught,” the department’s regional director Tina Alderson said. The RSPCA is appealing for information as they investigate the discovery of two puppies found with their mouths taped shut at the weekend at a property in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane.The dogs, believed to be four to five months old, were found dumped in bushland at Chuwar. RSPCA inspectors also found tape residue on their paws, suggesting their legs had also been bound.A member of the public found one of the puppies on Saturday, with the second rescued by an inspector on Sunday with the assistance of the first dog.There is an appeal for information as part of the RSPCA’s animal cruelty investigation into the puppies found with their mouths taped.Credit: RSPCA QueenslandRSPCA Inspectors are urging anyone with information about these puppies to come forward by reporting it to 1300 ANIMAL (264 625) or reporting via its website.“This is one of the most disturbing cases of abandonment we’ve seen,” an RSPCA Queensland chief inspector said in a statement.“These puppies were left defenceless and in a condition that could have easily led to prolonged suffering or death if they had not been found in time.” Advertisement Brisbanites wake from the chilliest night of the week – a frosty 8 degrees – to what is expected to be the warmest day.With the sky over the River City predicted to be partially cloudy, some of the heat today brings should be trapped, leading to a relatively pleasant top of 24.But it was a winter’s morning for the ages, with an apparent temperature (or “feels like” temperature) of about 6 degrees in Brisbane’s CBD as the sun rose.Tonight the mercury is set to plunge again, but remaining in the double digits, before a sunnier day on the cards for Wednesday.Here’s what’s making news further afield this morning:Mark Latham with his former partner Nathalie Matthews in 2024.Credit: InstagramRogue independent MP Mark Latham has denied shocking domestic abuse claims made by his former long-term partner, which included accusations he forced her into degrading sexual acts.German backpacker Carolina Wilga has broken her silence from her hospital bed, thanking her rescuers and addressing the mystery of why she left her car after becoming stranded in WA’s outback.Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has slammed conservative campaigning group Advance and its donors after it emerged that antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s husband’s family trust gave $50,000 to the controversial organisation.Donald Trump has threatened to place severe tariffs on Russia’s allies if Vladimir Putin does not make a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, marking the first time the US president has set a deadline on action from his counterpart in Moscow. “I’m disappointed in President Putin. I thought we would have had a deal two months ago,” he said.And nothing says talent war like a $153 million job offer. Mark Zuckerberg has been on a hiring blitz for AI’s most revered scientists, sending them cold emails and offering them roles in his new Superintelligence Labs division whose goal is nothing less than to build artificial-intelligence software that’s smarter than humans.Good morning, welcome to Brisbane Times’ live news coverage for Tuesday, July 15. Today will be sunny with a top temperature of 24 degrees.In this morning’s local headlines:The Australian Tax Office has launched an independent review into its handling of a case in which a businessman was arrested and jailed over a legal battle that he ultimately won.On Monday, hundreds of mourners gathered at a church just steps from the home where Greg Josephson was allegedly murdered to farewell the millionaire Brisbane businessman.Sonny Bill Williams says Queensland fighter Alex Leapai Junior has the raw power and the boxing pedigree to be a star on the global stage, as the boxer prepares to step back into the ring tomorrow night.And as the British and Irish Lions begin their first Test preparations in Brisbane, Dolphins star Herbie Farnworth insists he has no temptation to complete a code jump to rugby union, as he reaffirmed his commitment to his club’s quest for a maiden NRL premiership.