Technology1 min read

Florida sanctuary uses drones to feed stranded chimpanzees during floods

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Severe weather flooded the sanctuary housing more than 200 chimpanzees, cutting off standard access for golf carts and a swamp buggy that transport 3,000 pounds of daily supplies. Staff deployed an emergency drone to drop bananas and blankets directly to a 38-year-old chimpanzee named Kaleb, who was surrounded by water until he could traverse a rope to safety. To care for the rest of the population, workers relied on personal trucks and a tractor to transport meals and medication across the property. Water levels fell noticeably by Saturday, clearing roughly 20 percent of the flooded roads.

Key points

  • The deployment of an emergency drone allowed caregivers to sustain a stranded chimpanzee…: The deployment of an emergency drone allowed caregivers to sustain a stranded chimpanzee without navigating hazardous waters.
  • Overnight dedication by staff and veterinarians ensured all resident chimpanzees received…: Overnight dedication by staff and veterinarians ensured all resident chimpanzees received their care and meals on schedule.
  • Receding water levels cleared approximately 20 percent of the submerged roads by Saturday…: Receding water levels cleared approximately 20 percent of the submerged roads by Saturday to ease operational strain.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A stranded chimp in a flood has received what must have seemed like a gift from heaven, but it was actually a drone that delivered its food. At Save the Chimps, a sanctuary near Fort Pierce, Florida, heavy rain turned familiar paths into waterways and left one chimpanzee temporarily cut off from his caregivers. Rather than let him go hungry, staff turned to a small aircraft with an unusual mission: delivering bananas, blankets, and reassurance from above.

When the water rose

Save the Chimps is home to more than 200 rescued and retired chimpanzees across a 150-acre property. Its animals live in elevated care houses and on island habitats, which kept them safe as rainstorms soaked southeast and central Florida from Sunday through Tuesday. But while the chimps themselves were not in immediate danger, the flooding created a serious problem for the people responsible for feeding and caring for them.

Canals on the property overflowed, submerging the internal roads normally used to deliver roughly 3,000 pounds of chimpanzee food each day by golf cart. A high-clearance swamp buggy helped staff…

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