WEBSTER, Fla. — Chase Sanctuary is home to so many animals, including endangered species like black-and-white ruffed lemur and cotton-top tamarins. They not only have rescue programs for exotic animals, but educational programs for the community.
Right now, things are at a standstill until the sanctuary recovers not only from hurricane damage on the property, but rising water levels from the Withlacoochee River.
What You Need To Know
- Chase Sanctuary is home to so many animals, including endangered species like black-and-white ruffed lemur and cotton-top tamarins
- Many of the outdoor habitats at Chase Sanctuary were destroyed due to Hurricane Milton
- Now Chase Sanctuary is experiencing flooding from Withlacoochee River
“A big tree branch came down... Luckily, it didn’t go through the building. It just destroyed our brown lemur habitat,” said Nina Vassallo, Managing Director of Chase Sanctuary.
Despite major damage from Hurricane Milton, Vassallo is trying to look at the positives.
“In a way, it was completely overwhelming because we have 20 acres, and it was just debris everywhere. Fences down and all the damage. But in another sense, we went into saying let us get out without any animals getting hurt or the people getting hurt. So, we kind of got what we prayed for,” said Vassallo.
Animal Behavior Specialist Adam Hess says the vervet monkey exhibit was one of the hardest hit during the hurricane.
“These guys are one of the smartest primates in the world and they are kept near the back of the park,” said Hess.
In order to feed and check on the vervet monkeys, he needs to use a paddleboard to get to the habitat. It’s thanks to the hurricane shelters each animal has that insured everyone survived the extreme weather.
“We’ve got it pretty sealed off and the floor is built up above. There’s no water in that building, thankfully. But right now, because of the hurricane, we’ve had to cut power to everything back here,” said Hess.
While even flooding won’t stop them from taking care of these creatures, it takes a village to overcome something like this.
“We really need donations to move the animals that are in the floods out to new habitats. We are also always looking for new volunteers,” said Vassallo.
For information on how to help Chase Sanctuary click here.