Florida Chimp Sanctuary Uses DJI Drone to Deliver Bananas to Chimp Cut Off by Floods
On November 4, the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida used a DJI camera drone to lower bananas and blankets to Kaleb, a chimpanzee whose outdoor area was cut off by floodwater. Florida law has barred state and local agencies from flying Chinese-made drones since 2023.
Save the Chimps, a chimpanzee sanctuary near Fort Pierce, Florida, used a DJI camera drone on November 4 to lower a paper bag of bananas and a bundle of blankets to Kaleb, a 38-year-old chimp whose outdoor area had been cut off by floodwater. The episode has drawn attention because Florida law bars sheriffs and fire departments from flying drones of this kind.
Rain put the sanctuary's roads under water
Rain fell on Florida's Treasure Coast from November 1 to November 3. Fort Pierce recorded 212 millimeters (8.36 inches) in three days, while WPTV put the sanctuary's own total at about 483 millimeters (19 inches). More than 200 chimps live in groups on 12 islands, with their care houses on higher ground. The water covered the paths between the islands, and about 15 golf carts that normally carry roughly 1,361 kilograms (3,000 pounds) of food a day failed. A donated swamp buggy brought in to replace them broke down on Wednesday.
Meals, medicine and enrichment items were then delivered by pickup truck, tractor and a maintenance worker's personal vehicle. The sanctuary says every chimp stayed safe and no meal was missed. Kaleb later walked out on his own along a rope strung across the water.
The drone and Florida's ban
The aircraft appears to be a DJI Air 3-series camera drone. No source names the model; the identification comes from the outlet DroneXL, based on the sanctuary's video. Facilities director Mark Yohannan told the Associated Press the sanctuary had bought the drone some time ago for exactly this kind of emergency.
Since 2023, Florida has barred state and local agencies from flying Chinese-made drones, limiting public fleets to an approved list that excludes DJI and Autel Robotics. A private nonprofit faces no such rule. Since December 22, 2025, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also blocked new equipment authorizations for foreign-made drones, but models already authorized, including the Air 3 and Air 3S, remain legal to buy, sell and fly.
About 20 percent of the sanctuary's roads were passable by Saturday, November 7. Yohannan is due to address the North St. Lucie River Water District on November 9, and the sanctuary plans to raise the drainage problem with the St. Lucie County Commission the same week.
