Uplifting stories of 2024: From Boki the bear’s surgery to Hardest Geezer’s run
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A brown bear in Kent receiving life-saving brain surgery and the “Hardest Geezer” running the entire length of Africa were among the most eye-catching uplifting moments of 2024. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at a selection of positive news picks from the year.
– Boki the bear undergoing pioneering, life-saving brain surgery. Boki became the first brown bear on record to have brain surgery, according to Wildwood Trust. The two-year-old, who lives at Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury, Kent, had been suffering from seizures which were believed to be caused by hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain).
It was decided that brain surgery was the best option for Boki, who went under the knife in October. World-leading veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi, who waived his fee for the job, fitted a stent between Boki’s brain and abdomen to help him pass the excess fluid.
In November, the team said he was almost back to his normal self after six weeks of rehabilitation and recovery. – ‘Hardest Geezer’ finishes mammoth challenge to run length of Africa. Russ Cook, from Worthing, spent 352 days taking on the huge challenge in Africa which saw him cover more than 16,000km, take some 19 million steps and pass through 16 countries while raising money for charity.
Mr Cook, nicknamed “the Hardest Geezer”, set off from South Africa’s most southerly point on April 22 2023, and faced visa complications, health scares and an armed robbery. He completed the venture named Project Africa on April 7 2024 in Ras Angela, Tunisia’s most northerly point.
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