Meanwhile... in Copperbelt, Zambia, tending to a baby chimp led to one of the largest chimpanzee reserves in the world
And in Somalia, a young social activist is offering former child soldiers and other war victims a chance to heal through surfing. Meanwhile, they're hiring in Antarctica.
Toto, a Chimfunshi resident
Salim Henry/Reuters/File
In Copperbelt, Zambia, it’s been 35 years since a game ranger left a badly injured baby chimp in the care of cattle ranchers David and Sheila Siddle. The Siddles didn’t know anything about chimps, but they cared for the struggling little orphan – whom they named Pal – as they would have cared for a human baby.
Defying expectations, Pal recovered. As word got around, other people began bringing orphaned and injured chimps to the Siddles.
Today, what was once the Siddles’ ranch is now the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, one of the oldest and largest chimpanzee reserves in the world. The refuge is home to about 120 chimps and other species such as parrots, antelopes, owls, and buzzards. Pal, who will turn 35 this year, is still in residence.
The refuge employs about 70 local residents.
In Somalia, a young social activist is offering former child soldiers and other war victims a chance to heal through surfing.
As unlikely as it might sound, the idea makes a lot of geographic sense. Somalia has one of the longest (1,880 miles) and loveliest coastlines in Africa. Decades of fighting made the beaches unsafe, but now, in more peaceful times, says Ilwad Elman, a 28-year-old social activist and founder of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center, the ocean can be put to better use.
“So many of the people we work with have been in survival mode their whole lives,” Ms. Elman told Quartz. Surf therapy has been “a great tool,” she says, to begin conversations and start the healing process.
In Antarctica, they’re hiring.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is looking for workers to sign contracts for summer work (six months) or winter work (18 months) at their five research stations in the Antarctic and subantarctic South Georgia.
Yes, they need marine biologists, but they’re also looking for chefs, carpenters, boat managers, and support staff. The BAS is describing these jobs as “the coolest in the world.”