Florida Chimp Sanctuary Uses Drone to Feed Isolated Ape During Massive Flooding
A Florida sanctuary deployed an emergency drone to deliver food to a stranded chimpanzee after heavy rains submerged roads. See the rescue mission.
POLICY WIRE — Fort Pierce, USA — A sanctuary dedicated to primate care in Florida had to utilize drone technology to provide meals to one of its 200 residents this week after torrential rains inundated the property. While the animals remained unharmed throughout the storm, the organization reported that water levels had begun to recede significantly by Saturday.
CEO Ana Paula Tavares noted that the care housing at the 150-acre facility remained secure on high ground as storms hit central and southeast Florida from Sunday through Tuesday. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of the primates, several veterinary staff and team members spent overnight on-site during the peak of the weather.
Facilities director Mark Yohannan explained that overflowing canals submerged the internal roads typically used by golf carts to transport the 3,000 pounds of primate food required daily. Although a high-clearance swamp buggy was deployed to assist, it eventually suffered a mechanical failure, leaving a 38-year-old chimpanzee named Kaleb stranded in an outdoor enclosure surrounded by rising waters.
The sanctuary had acquired a delivery drone specifically for emergency scenarios, according to Yohannan. Employees utilized the aircraft to drop blankets and food to Kaleb until he eventually moved to a more accessible area on his own accord.
Save the Chimps captured footage of Kaleb consuming a banana from a paper bag released by the drone, followed by the animal crossing a rope bridge over the flooded section.
For the remainder of the ape population, staff used a tractor and various trucks, including a maintenance worker’s personal car, to distribute medicine, supplies, and meals. Yohannan confirmed that all chimpanzees have received their rations of oranges and bananas on schedule and are in good health.
The flooding also affected local wildlife, with a small alligator wandering near the sanctuary kitchen on Friday after using the floodwaters to enter areas not typically visited by the species.
Water levels dropped notably on Friday night, leaving roughly 20% of the facility’s roadways clear by Saturday. While widespread regional flooding prevented some employees from reaching the site to cover shifts, Yohannan stated that the team remains in high spirits despite the exhaustion.
The organization is currently seeking public donations to repair equipment and buildings damaged by the floods, with one donor already committing to matching all incoming contributions. Since it was established in 1997, Save the Chimps has rescued nearly 350 chimpanzees from the entertainment industry, the pet trade, and former research laboratories.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
