Waist-deep floodwaters cut off the ground routes. The trucks stalled out. So caregivers at Fort Pierce's Save the Chimps refuge took to the sky, flying commercial drones across murky waters to drop paper sacks of fresh bananas directly into the hands of isolated apes. The airborne workaround kept daily feeding schedules running without missing a single beat. Seconds after one payload touched down, video footage showed a resident chimp calmly peeling and eating his afternoon meal.
The emergency began when a brutal rainstorm battered St. Lucie County, dumping roughly 19 inches of water across the 150-acre sanctuary in a matter of days. An adjacent canal overflowed immediately afterward, locking the drainage system and transforming the expansive primate refuge into an inland lake. The flood marked the absolute worst waterlogging recorded on the property in its 25-year history.
Plant operations took a severe beating. Staff initially tried muscling through the torrents using tractors and specialized off-road rigs, but the rising water overwhelmed the machinery. A donated swamp buggy broke down midway through emergency supply runs. Worse, floodwaters submerged and ruined nearly 15 electric golf carts—the quiet utility workhorses the staff rely on for daily groundskeeping and feed distribution.
Yet the animals stayed high and dry. The sanctuary houses more than 200 chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, Hollywood sets, and the illegal exotic pet trade. Each enclosure features elevated island care houses engineered specifically to sit above regional storm surges. Save the Chimps Chief Executive Officer Ana Paula Tavares confirmed that every resident primate remained unharmed throughout the deluge.
Sanctuary facilities director Mark Yohannan noted that hands-on caregivers maintained round-the-clock routines despite the transit collapse. The team pushed through with medicine, blankets, and specialized dietary enrichment without interruption.
Now comes the grueling recovery. With regular transport wiped out, the sanctuary has issued an urgent public appeal to local businesses and residents for temporary loans of tall, four-wheel-drive utility trucks to keep supply chains moving while crews begin costly structural repairs across the grounds.