From cointelegraph by Zoltan Vardai
The last week of 2024 was as exciting as the rest of this milestone year of crypto acceptance, following Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s decision to adopt viral internet sensation Moo Deng with an 88 Ether donation to the Thailand-based zoo.
In the wider crypto space, James Howells continues the legal battle to recover his hard drive containing over $773 million worth of Bitcoin, which was lost in a landfill back in 2013.
Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus that became a viral internet sensation, was adopted by Vitalik Buterin, one of the most famous cryptocurrency founders.
Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, the world’s second-largest blockchain network, became the adoptive father of Moo Deng, Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo announced in a Dec. 26 X post:
“Thank you Vitalik Buterin for joining the Wildlife Sponsorship Program and adopting Moo Deng with a generous gift of 10,000,000 THB for her family!”
Moo Deng rose to viral popularity in September because of her expressive personality and charming social media videos shared by the Thailand-based zoo.
In response to the announcement, Buterin said he may donate even more than the current 88 EtherETH$3,343.01 or $292,000, to the zoo.
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James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, is fighting a high-stakes legal battle to recover a hard drive containing private keys to 8,000 Bitcoin worth about $773 million.
The drive that was mistakenly disposed of in a landfill holds 2009-era Bitcoin BTC$94,505 representing a fortune that is tied to the earliest days of the cryptocurrency market. Howells is currently barred access by the Newport City Council due to its environmental permit.
In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Howells said the legal proceedings are ongoing and backed by a world-class legal team and advanced artificial intelligence technology trained in United Kingdom law.
Despite the estimated $773 million in holdings being thrown out in 2013, Howells remains optimistic and plans to compensate stakeholders, contribute to the crypto community and potentially reinvest in blockchain projects — if he recovers the lost BTC.