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Take an inside look at a home dedicated to saving orphaned chimpanzees.

The chimpanzee population in West Africa has declined sharply over the past few decades — more than 90% in Côte d'Ivoire alone.

Project Primates, a U.S.-based not-for-profit group, is working to preserve and protect these beautiful creatures and their habitats. That's why they launched the Chimpanzee Conservation Center (CCC).


Ten-month-old Soumba is left alone momentarily for the first time since her arrival at the Chimpanzee Conservation Center in 2015. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

The Chimpanzee Conservation Center rescues, rehabilitates, and, when possible, releases healthy chimps back into the wild.

The CCC, located inside the Haut Niger National Park in the West African nation of Guinea, is home to 50 young, orphaned western chimpanzees who are often sold into the pet trade after their mothers and other adult family members are killed for bushmeat.

Volunteer Anissa Aidat holds new arrival Kandar. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

When the chimpanzees arrive at the sanctuary, they often suffer from diseases related to their captivity.

Veterinary volunteer Christina Collell performs a health check on new arrival Kandar. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

Respiratory and skin diseases are common, as are malnutrition and psychological conditions, all of which require round-the-clock care.

Anissa Aidat gives N'Dama a milk substitute. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

After a brief period of quarantine, keepers care for the animals in age-appropriate habitats.

The CCC is just over 3,700 square miles of dry forest and grassland. There, with the help of staff and volunteers, the animals learn how to be wild animals, something few of the animals had the chance to experience.

Keeper Fayer Kourouma with a chimp during a hike. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

They make nests, go for walks in the bush, forage, learn to climb, and discover how to communicate and work with other chimpanzees.

Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

As the chimps get older and more reliant on their peers, human contact is limited to better prepare them for release and life in the wild.

Keeper Fayer Kourouma and a chimp share sugarcane. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

This rehabilitation process requires lots of patience. Preparing a chimp to return to the wild can take more than 10 years!

The CCC released its first group of chimpanzees in 2008, right in the Haut Niger National Park, not far from the sanctuary. The animals are equipped with tracking devices to monitor their location, and since the sanctuary is so close to the release site, volunteers and staff can protect the animals from poachers and other threats. So far, the released chimpanzees are thriving and interacting with the wild population. It's truly the best outcome, and hopefully a sign of good things to come.

Keeper Albert Wamouno and Hawa. Photo by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images Reportage.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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Health

Amanda Bynes is on a 72-hour hold: What that means and why fans are applauding her

"The fact that Amanda Bynes flagged a car down, told them she was having a psychotic episode and called 911 herself actually gives me a lot of hope for her well-being."

Amanda Bynes is on a 72-hour hold.

It's not a secret that celebrities are just like everyone else and sometimes struggle with mental health concerns. Amanda Bynes is no exception, and she has been quite open about her mental health struggles over the years. In 2013, Bynes was placed under conservatorship after a few mental health crises that put herself and others in danger.

Since the conservatorship was ended in 2021, Bynes has remained essentially out of public view and was scheduled to appear with her "All That" cast members at 90s Con. But recently, Bynes went in for a 72-hour psychiatric hold after experiencing a psychotic episode that led her to walking around downtown Los Angeles without any clothing. During a moment of clarity, the 36-year-old actress flagged down a car and called 911.

While walking around a busy city naked can certainly qualify as risk of harm to oneself, Bynes' actions after regaining a sense of reality are important. There are two types of psychiatric holds: voluntary and involuntary. Clearly, a voluntary hold is more desirable and shows promise for marked improvement because you're the one recognizing the need for psychiatric care. Bynes making the phone call herself shows that she knew, in that moment, her behavior was unsafe and she needed help.

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A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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Family

Dad had no idea he was auditioning for 'Britain's Got Talent.' He brought the house down anyway.

His two little girls called him up on stage to perform the song he wrote for them.

Nick Edwards had no idea he was going to be singing for Britain's Got Talent until his mom and daughters showed up on stage.

We've seen some moving America's Got Talent stories before, but a recent viral audition absolutely requires a tissue warning. I tried to steel myself in preparation when I saw the "Admit it, we were *all* in tears after this" caption on the Facebook share of it, but I failed.

In a video that's been shared more than 95,000 times, the "Britain's Got Talent" audition shows two tiny little girls onstage with their grandmother. They introduce themselves as "Cally" (age 4) and "Savannah" (age 3) and "Nanny" (their "daddy's mummy") then the girls share that they are there to surprise their dad.

Dad—also known as Nick Edwards—is sitting in the audience. He thought the family was there to watch the audition on a fun outing; he had no idea that they had arranged a surprise audition for him, so when his girls and mom showed up on stage, he wondered what was going on.

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Family

Woman shares sweet exchange with 92-year-old grandpa who invited her over for 'sleepover'

“We can order food and watch a mystery show. Love, grandpa.”

via Pexels

A grandfather and granddaughter holding hands.

Loneliness is one of the most dangerous health problems in the United States, although it’s seldom discussed. Psychology Today says loneliness has the same mortality risks as obesity, smoking, alcoholism and physical inactivity.

A meta-analysis from Brigham Young University found that social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by up to 50%. The problem with loneliness is that people suffer in silence and it afflicts the ones we don’t see.

A TikTok user who goes by the name Megan Elizabeth recently shared a touching story on social media about how her grandfather was feeling lonely so he reached out to her. The story shows what can happen when one person is brave enough to confront their social isolation and the important role grandkids can play in their grandparents’ lives.

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Jason K. Pargin shares his controversial theory on lobster.

Novelist Jason K. Pargin has inspired an online food fight after his video about lobster received over 500,000 views on Tiktok and nearly 6 million on Twitter. Pargin believes that we’ve all been tricked into liking lobster and that people only like it because it’s considered high class.

Pargin is the author of the “John Dies at the End” and “Zoey Ashe” series and the former editor of Cracked.com.

"I don't think anyone actually enjoys eating lobster. I think they've just been convinced that it's a high-class food for a really specific reason,” Pargin says in his controversial video. He then describes how just a few centuries ago lobster was once used as prisoners' food and ground into fertilizer.

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