Chimpanzee receives food via delivery drone after Florida flooding closes sanctuary roadsDaphne Graeter Tue, November 10, 2026 at 5:19 PM UTC
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WJW) -- When flooding left stranded chimpanzees without food, sanctuary caregivers thought to take to the skies.
Save the Chimps, a nonprofit chimpanzee sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida, posted a video to its Facebook page on Nov. 7 showing drone footage of its flooded outdoor property.
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On Nov. 3, the nonprofit posted to Facebook, indicating it implemented its emergency weather protocol and a "ride-out crew" that would remain on the grounds overnight to care for chimps as flooding persisted.
A drone photo of the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. (Save the Chimps via Storyful)
The post indicated that resident chimps were safe, but that the sanctuary's roads were impassable, and buildings were damaged by floodwaters.
Thankfully, the chimpanzees didn't go hungry.
Drone footage from Save the Chimps shows a personal food delivery to Kaleb, a 38-year-old chimpanzee, sitting atop his outdoor island, surrounded by water.
In the video, Kaleb runs excitedly to the drone and grabs a banana from the paper bag containing food. The drone also delivered soft towels to other chimps, who could be seen lying on them and grooming each other.
A drone photo of Kaleb the chimpanzee awaiting a drone food delivery. (Save the Chimps via Storyful)
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Fort Pierce, on Florida's east coast, was among the areas affected by flash flooding on Nov. 2, as reported by local officials.
Save the Chimps is asking the public to donate toward repairing the sanctuary as a result of the flooding.
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Source: Nature