A Florida chimpanzee sanctuary had to deliver food to one of its 200 apes by drone this week because the property was swamped by heavy rain. But the animals stayed safe, and the water finally was receding significantly on Saturday, the organization said.
Save the Chimps, a 150-acre sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida, is home to more than 200 rescued chimpanzees. After approximately 19 inches of rain flooded the property earlier this week, overflowing canals submerged the internal roads normally used to deliver 3,000 pounds of chimp food per day by golf cart, facilities director Mark Yohannan said.
One chimp, a 38-year-old named Kaleb, had remained in an outdoor area that was cut off by water. The organization had bought a delivery drone some time ago for just such an emergency, Yohannan said, and staff used it to bring Kaleb food and blankets until he decided on his own to head for somewhere more accessible.
Save the Chimps captured video of Kaleb munching a banana he had plucked from a drone-dropped paper bag, and later steadily picking his way across a rope that bridged his way across some standing water. Drones also delivered blankets to other chimps, and staff relied on tractors, trailers and other large vehicles to navigate the flooded areas.
The sanctuary's care houses were secure on high ground, chief executive Ana Paula Tavares said in a statement, and the animals were safe. The water level dropped noticeably overnight Friday, and about 20 percent of the property's roads were clear on Saturday, Yohannan said.
Save the Chimps was founded in 1997. To date, it has cared for nearly 350 chimpanzees from research laboratories, the pet trade and the entertainment industry.
