Florida Zoo Prepares Animals for Hurricane Ian's Wrath

As Hurricane Ian moves closer to Florida's Tampa Bay area, ZooTampa at Lowry Park will close Tuesday so staff can secure loose items and move higher-risk animals to more protected spaces.

Zoo staff are beginning to prepare as several evacuations have already been ordered in the area. Staff are focusing mostly on moving the zoo's exotic bird population from a free-flying aviary to ancillary buildings. The aviary's nets are at risk of being damaged by hurricane-force winds.

Much of ZooTampa's hurricane preparation is already complete. Teams meet in January to discuss hurricane preparedness plans and begin preparing in earnest by securing plywood and other supplies by the time the Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1.

Sandra Torres, the zoo's vice president of marketing and communications, told Newsweek that most of the other animals are safe in buildings able to "withstand major storms." Those animals have been given extra food and water to last through the hurricane.

The zoo could reopen as early as Friday, depending on what damage occurs during the hurricane. Ian was upgraded from a tropical storm on Monday morning and is anticipated to gather strength as it progresses through western Cuba and toward Florida.

A ride-out team equipped with animal care staff, a veterinarian, maintenance staff, an EMT and security is prepared to check on the animals immediately before the storm hits and assess any damage once it's safe to do so.

"They are in a first responder position," said Chris Massaro, the zoo's senior vice president of zoological operations.

Massaro told Newsweek that hurricanes haven't killed any of the zoo animals since he's worked at the zoo during the last 20 years. The zoo also hasn't needed to evacuate the animals during that time, although it has the resources to do so if needed.

"There are other zoos in the state of Florida we work with. We can support one another. We have never had to do that," Massaro said.

Massaro said the buildings are a "comfortable place" for the animals to "spend some time."

"They [the animals] actually do fairly well," Massaro said. "The good thing is that [the hurricane] usually passes within 24 hours, so they're not secured in the buildings too long."

Forecasts predict that Hurricane Ian's progression will slow once it hits the Tampa Bay area, causing rain and surging sea levels to linger longer than normal.

"It is important for folks to know we have a pretty strong preparedness plan in place," Massaro said. "We've been through storms in the past, and we are pretty confident we have good plans in place to keep all animals and staff safe during the storm."

Torres told Newsweek that the zoo is equipped with emergency preparedness funds to cover any unexpected costs as a result of hurricane damage.

ZooTampa is home to about 1,300 animals. It spans 63 acres and many of its animals are indigenous to Florida, including raccoons, alligators and exotic birds.