[Malveaux:] I want to follow breaking news story about a plane that landed in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Chad is joining us with more details about the landing.
[Chad Myers, Ams Meteorologist:] Yes, we were speculating. We said it is possible that the pilot could still be OK if the plane didn't nose into the water, if it was a soft landing. And in fact, now from the Coast Guard, from the plane that was flying over the plane that went down, the plane did go into the water softly. It did not break up. The nose is in the water. The tail is out of the water. A helicopter is on the way and should be arriving shortly.
[Malveaux:] That is good news. The last we knew about the pilot was that he was unconscious in the plane.
[Myers:] Right.
[Malveaux:] That's what we still know is just unconscious.
[Myers:] To be honest, if the pilot was at 32,000 feet for a very long time, he may have expired anyway. There may be there is so little oxygen up there. If it was slightly pressurized and just lost some pressure and then came down and landed in the water, that pilot may be in the water and waiting for rescue right now.
[Malveaux:] All right. Chad, thanks for the update.
[Myers:] You're right, it's great news.
[Malveaux:] Keep our fingers crossed on this one. Chimps will be charming folks going to the movies this weekend. Disney is debuting the nature film about a baby chimp in a rain forest in the West African nation of Ivory Coast. Brenda Bush, our writer, producer and a mom, recently visited some chimpanzees in neighboring Liberia and is taking us to a remote sanctuary where the former lab animals now face an uncertain future.
[Brenda Bush, Cnn Correspondent:] So it is not "Planet of the Apes, but it is a real life island of the apes. The research chimpanzees were released after years of experimentation. They were brought to this island on Liberia's Farmington River to live out the rest of their lives far from prodding needles and other painful laboratory tests. This is their sanctuary. [on camera]: We have counted about a dozen chimpanzees here. They seemed agitated when we first arrived but now have calmed down considerably and they're watching us as we watch them. [voice-over]: Not many Liberians know about the chimps. We had to travel an hour up river in a rudimentary canoe to get here. I am told there are 60 chimps roaming free on carefully selected islands, and humans better watch out. It was my daughter who insisted I come here.
[Archel Bernard, Daughter Of Brenda:] I have to be honest. I have the same fear I had when I first came to this very island.
[Bush:] This may help explain why the chimps don't like people. They lived in these cages while researchers conducted pioneering studies of hepatitis over two decades. Liberian authorities say the research led to a solvent detergent used to cleanse blood of viruses. Ironically, it was the bloodshed in Liberia that freed the chimps. Years of civil war forced the New York Blood Center to shut down the facility. And now the future of the animals may be in jeopardy. Liberia is demanding compensation from the New York Blood Center for research carried out here during the 1980s. Some of that money would be used to continue feeding the chimps for the rest of their lives. Food is the one thing they rely on humans for even those unwanted visitors.
[Bernard:] We learn if you don't throw food at the chimpanzees, they will throw rocks at you. So we brought plenty of bananas for them.
[Bush:] They can count on food from the few visitors that venture out here but, with the Liberian government and the New York Blood Center in arbitration, the long-term care of the chimps is in question.
[Malveaux:] Brenda Bush joins us now. Brenda, you are just an amazing member of the team. This is like a vacation. I love this. Were you scared at all?
[Bush:] Scared to death. And the fear started right from the before we even left the shore.
[Malveaux:] Really?
[Bush:] Yes. That canoe is hand carved. I am not an adventurer.
[Malveaux:] This seems like a really humane way of retiring the chimps. Do we know if this is a long-term thing, that they are going to be protected?
[Bush:] That's the question. Right now the New York Blood Center is in charge of feeding these chimpanzees. However, the New York Blood Center is being sued. They have told the Liberian government that they can't even afford to keep feeding the chimps. My sources in Liberia say they indicated they don't have the money. The Liberian government is poor. They can't afford to feed the chimps either. It is really not known yet what will happen, how these chimps will be cared for for the rest of their lives. And they contributed so much to humans.
[Malveaux:] You and I talk about how these are different than the chimps you expect from the ones in the movie or the zoo. How so?
[Bush:] Exactly. That was why I was scared, not only getting there in the carved out canoe but also these chimps are big.
[Malveaux:] Thank you so much for bringing us a slice of life and going back to your home country. Really, excellent stories.
[Bush:] Thank you. Thank you.
[Malveaux:] Thank you. I appreciate it. You might not know this about Brenda. She is not only a great journalist, she is a working mom five kids. We saw the little piece there. We want to hear from you what you think about the balancing act of being a parent and a provider, up next.