At least 12 animals dead at San Antonio primate sanctuary after winter storm cuts off power

Source: The Hill | February 17, 2021 | Morgan Gstalter

Approximately 12 animals — including a chimpanzee, monkeys and lemurs — have died at a San Antonio primate sanctuary after winter storms cut off heat and electricity amid plunging temperatures in Texas.

Primarily Primates, a nonprofit sanctuary in Bexar County, said in a Wednesday statement that it lost power early Monday morning during the “historic freeze,” which is also blamed in the deaths of at least 20 people.

Single-digit temperatures were recorded in San Antonio, and the average has been hovering around 28 degrees.

Staff at the 70-acre sanctuary initially attempted to use generators, space heaters, propane tanks and blankets to keep the animals warm.

Brooke Chavez, executive director of Primarily Primates, told The San Antonio Express-News that they decided later Monday evening to begin evacuating animals. Some were sent to the San Antonio Zoo and to another sanctuary near Oklahoma.

“I’ve never faced a decision like this,” said Chavez. “Having to decide who we can save, depending on the predictability of which animals we can catch.”

As they began rounding up animals for transport, they discovered several had already died.

“I never, ever thought my office would turn into a morgue, but it has,” Chavez told the Express-News on Tuesday. “Someone asked me how many animals have died. I don’t know yet.”

Primarily Primates was the first primate sanctuary founded in North America. The facility holds more than 300 animals, mostly ones that were abused or exploited for research or entertainment purposes.

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