I know people have been worried about how the animals fared. I am too. They gave us an emergency website and phone number for updates but the phone has been on a fast busy for two days. The last post on the site was on Friday at 9:45 PM, saying the zoo was now locked with a ride out crew inside, with plenty of food and supplies for the animals and their people for several days.
Those folks must be paired with really great people who don't mind riding out the city's biggest hurricane ever without their partner there. But all people love their animals, and the zoo staff are no different.
I'm a four minute drive from the zoo and it was killing me to not be able to help the morning after. But I totally understand. In emergencies, volunteers must abide by the same rules as the general public, which is to steer clear and let the staff do their jobs. Husband and I did drive around it to see what we could see. There was a city crew working on a giant oak that had crashed through of the two entry gates and saw at least one side gate was destroyed. I don't know what the inside looks like but it was a mess on the outside. But the entire city looks like that.
On Thursday I got to help with hurricane prep for the cats and maned wolves. I'm certain the animals are fine if their safety is to be judged by the quality of the staff who stayed and the high level of care and concern on the part of the zoo execs themselves. They're impressive and their priorities are in the right place. I'm completely proud to be a tiny part of it.
As I mentioned on my other blog at 4 AM when we were getting the worst of it, I was thinking about the giraffes, wondering how they were possibly handling that wind. Can't imagine they could stand up through it, especially the babies. Their center of gravity is too high to not be knocked over. On our drive I was surprised to see that the tall wooden giraffe house looked fine, though there were several trees broken in half over the roof and on either side. Maybe they just got inside, actually curled up and sat up on the ground and the keeper closed the doors. If I remember right there are two separate "rooms" with a small keeper office in-between. What I don't know is if the keeper could stay with them but I'm sure she wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Do you mildly sedate some animals for their own safety?
I also wondered about the cats -- I knew they'd be safe, but can you picture what it was like to be the one or two keepers in there with so many wild animal who at their very core are deeply in sync with nature, so sensitive and able to pick up on things we don't? Were the cats pacing in their cages, snapping their tails or alert and poised for whatever they were sensing? Were they roaring or mewing or eerily quiet as the winds raged around their walls?
Those folks must be paired with really great people who don't mind riding out the city's biggest hurricane ever without their partner there. But all people love their animals, and the zoo staff are no different.
When I have more information, it will be posted here.
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