Save the Chimps, a Florida sanctuary, used a delivery drone to bring food and blankets to a 38-year-old chimpanzee named Kaleb when flooding cut off normal access routes to his outdoor area. Heavy rain from Sunday through Tuesday swamped the 150-acre property near Fort Pierce, submerging internal roads and overflowing canals. The sanctuary typically delivers 3,000 pounds of chimp food daily via golf carts, but flooded conditions made this impossible.
Mark Yohannan, the facilities director, said the organization had purchased the drone previously for emergency situations. Staff used it to reach Kaleb until he moved to more accessible ground on his own. Video captured Kaleb eating a banana from a drone-dropped paper bag and crossing a rope bridge over standing water.
The sanctuary used trucks, a tractor, and a maintenance worker's personal vehicle to deliver meals, medicine, and other supplies to the rest of the facility's approximately 200 chimpanzees. CEO Ana Paula Tavares reported that the animals remained safe in care houses built on high ground. Some veterinarians and employees stayed overnight at the property to monitor the animals' welfare.
By Saturday, water levels had receded noticeably, and about 20 percent of the property's roads were clear. Yohannan reported that employees were in good spirits despite fatigue and difficulty reaching the sanctuary to relieve their colleagues. Save the Chimps, founded in 1997, has cared for nearly 350 chimpanzees from research laboratories, the pet trade, and the entertainment industry.