The week's good news: Dec. 21, 2023

1. Scimitar-horned oryx makes a comeback in the wild

The scimitar-horned oryx is no longer extinct in the wild, after conservation groups and government officials worked together to reintroduce this species to its native land in North Africa. Due to extensive hunting, the species was declared extinct in the wild by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2000. A plan to get the scimitar-horned oryx back in the wild was hatched in 2012 by Environment Abu Dhabi, the Sahara Conservation Fund, the Zoological Society of London and the government of Chad. Oryxes living in zoos and private collections were brought to the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve in Chad in 2016, and it didn't take long before a baby oryx was born. In 2022, the IUCN determined the population was increasing, and for the first time ever, a species was reclassified from "extinct in the wild" to "endangered." "At a time when biodiversity is being lost at unprecedented rates, the return of the scimitar-horned oryx can give us hope for other species whose fate is, quite literally, in our hands," Dr. Andrew Terry, director of conservation and policy at the Zoological Society of London, told BBC.

2. 'The Unstoppable Dogs' aim to inspire others to 'live their life to the fullest'

Debbie Pearl and her seven dogs are spreading a message of hope. Each one of her dogs has a disability, with most using wheelchairs that hook to their hind legs and the others outfitted with prosthetic limbs. "I look for dogs that have been through traumatic events, but that have this amazing gift of forgiveness," Pearl told CBS News. The Huntington Beach, California, resident is the founder of the nonprofit Dream Fetchers, which connects rescue dogs with families. The dogs that Pearl adopts herself go through training to become therapy dogs, and once a week they pile into her car and visit hospitals, schools or the local Easter Seals. She has named her crew "The Unstoppable Dogs," and they "live their life to the fullest," Pearl said. "And I think that says a lot that hopefully others can take from that, because it doesn't matter maybe what has happened to you in the past or what you're dealing with at this moment. Live. Because you can live a great life and be happy."

3. Researchers 'cautiously very excited' over MS stem cell therapy

Stem cells have been safely injected into the brains of patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and seem to have protected them from further damage, a breakthrough that could pave the way for new treatments. With MS, the immune system attacks the sheath that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in symptoms that include problems with vision and balance to paralysis. Existing drugs can reduce the severity and frequency of relapses, but two-thirds of patients still go on to develop secondary progressive MS, an increasingly debilitating form of the disease. In the small, early-stage trial, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, 15 patients with a high level of disability were injected with stem cells removed from a fetal donor. Over the next year, none of the patients showed any worsening of their symptoms, and any side effects were relatively mild. This suggested the cell therapy had stopped or slowed the disease's advance, according to a report in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Study co-leader Prof. Stefano Pluchino said he is "cautiously very excited" about the findings, but stressed that larger studies are needed to confirm them.

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4. New Jersey man's joke about a party at Walmart becomes an actual toy drive

Drew Delgado's fake party at Walmart turned into something real. The Lacey Township, New Jersey, resident thought only a few people would see his joke Facebook event called "Walmart self-checkout Christmas party," which he described as a celebration of "another successful year of picking, paying and bagging your own groceries ...." After 21,000 people responded they were "interested" in attending the mock event, Delgado fessed up that it was all a gag, but it got him thinking about inviting everyone to participate in a toy drive instead. Working with the Lacey Elks Lodge in Forked River, New Jersey, Delgado organized a drive for toys, nonperishable items, pet food and blankets, to distribute to local charities. Delgado and his wife Nicole told The Guardian they hope to turn it into an annual event.

5. This English pub has been putting up the same Christmas decorations for 61 years

The Christmas decorations David Short made 77 years ago still go up every December in the Queen's Head pub in Newton, England. He first used his childhood crafts as decorations in 1962, and "it's amazing they survived, as the pub has had some quite raucous evenings over the years," his son, Rob Short, told BBC. "But the thing about them is you can mend them quite easily and put them back up again." Rob took over running the pub a decade ago, and said visitors enjoy the red, yellow and green streamers because they are traditional and "you just don't get to see decorations like that any more."