Guests galore

Some areas of the US state of Florida were hit by a deluge last week as a storm dumped a record 20 inches of rain.

Access to the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce was blocked as canals overflowed and flooded the 150-acre property, the New York Post reported.

Stagnant floodwater prevented sanctuary workers from feeding the monkeys, even though the animals were safe in their elevated houses standing on islands.

The lack of boats, trucks, tractors, trailers, and large off-road vehicles prevented workers from reaching the animals. To feed the chimpanzees, a drone was used to drop bags of bananas near their houses.

Meanwhile, an orphaned Chinese groom who had no other relatives and had worried about an empty reception at his village wedding received so many gifts from strangers.

Twenty-four-year-old Xu, from Zhaotong in Yunnan province, China, had posted in the video-sharing site Douyin an open invitation to his wedding banquet on 31 October, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The video of Xu, whose mother had left him and his brother to the care of their grandmother after their father passed away when he was three, went viral with more than 600,000 likes.

Soon, he received many digital red envelopes or cash gifts and messages of congratulations, according to SCMP.

Nearly 200 visitors from across China then arrived in person, some even forming a celebratory motorcade, at Xu’s village, SCMP reports. A guest from Tibet drove more than 2,200 kilometers to congratulate the groom and bride.

“I told everyone not to bring anything, that their presence was enough, but no one arrived empty-handed,” an emotional Xu told local media.

The wedding couple received home appliances, roast pigs, flowers, 100 hens from a farmer, and the services of private chefs, according to SCMP.

Local authorities stepped in to manage the traffic to the village and moved the ceremony to a spacious cultural plaza to accommodate all of Xu’s wedding guests.