Fort Pierce - Wednesday November 9, 2022: The 'Save the Chimps' Chimpanzee sanctuary in Fort Pierce is sheltering its 228 chimps inside their buildings in anticipation of Hurricane Nicole.
Select staff members, including Dr. Andrew Halloran, will remain onsite to provide food and medication to the primates and regularly check on them. The sanctuary will resume normal operations when it is safe for all employees to return.
“Before chimps are let back outside, we will conduct an inspection to ensure that the structures and walls are sound and the islands are safe,” said Halloran, who is director of chimpanzee behavior and care.
Tropical storms usually do not bother the chimps, Halloran said. “Hurricane Irma was a particularly loud storm, complete with tornados that touched down on the property. I did rounds during the noisiest times. Most of the chimps were asleep.”
About Save the Chimps
Save the Chimps is one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world whose mission is to provide refuge and exemplary care to chimpanzees in need. Save the Chimps offers life-long care for chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, the U.S. Air Force, the pet trade, and the entertainment industry. Located in Ft. Pierce, Florida, Save the Chimps has 150 acres and 12 island habitats, each with trees, hills, climbing structures, and secure and spacious indoor living spaces. Save the Chimps is not open to the public to ensure privacy and freedom from exploitation for the chimpanzees.