British kids named Charlie are basically the best. They bite their brothers and laugh, they tour chocolate factories, etc. This one, Charlie Naysmith, 8, is the sort of kid who, when he unexpectedly finds a rock-like substance worth tens of thousands of dollars, donates it all to help animals.
Charlie is into nature, so when he found a large weird chunk of rock on the beach, he took it home as a specimen. Turns out, it was actually a piece of ambergris — a chunk of hardened whale vomit. Ambergris is prized by perfume-makers, as it helps more delicate smells linger, and since it’s hard to find, it’s extremely valuable. With a little research, Charlie discovered that his chunk was worth more than $63,000.
But, like I said, British kids named Charlie are basically the best. So whereas most kids might use $63,000 to buy a boat-load of chocolate and look for golden tickets, Charlie is using his windfall to open an animal shelter. Though I suppose it’s possible that he’s just an extremely shrewd businessman, and the shelter will only house whales with stomach ailments.
