Hurricane Florence, as you have probably seen on the news, is landing on the southeastern coast of the United States. So, what does this mean for businesses like zoos and aquariums who must ensure that their animals are taken care of?

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which encompasses over 230 animal care facilities in the US and abroad, requires all members to practice an annual disaster preparedness drill in order to ensure they are ready for any sort of natural disaster that might head their way. That said, the logistics of figuring out how to shelter animals in place – for practice or for real – can be daunting and fraught with potential roadblocks (if not outright disasters).

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Plans begin with staff removing loose debris and signs that could blow around, checking generators and gas tanks, and prepping cleaning and feeding supplies that are able to be stockpiled in advance. They also choose members of the staff to be part of a “ride-out crew,” which are people who will stay with the animals through the disaster or storm.

For Hurricane Harvey, just 15 staff members remained at the Houston Zoo. CEO Lee Ehmke told NPR that they “were sleeping here at the zoo, on cots or on the floor. We prepared food so everyone was fed. There was a lot of radio and internet communication to make sure the right diets were given to the animals.”

While every zoo is different, one thing they have in common is that they have primary, secondary, and tertiary plans – backups for their backups. There are a lot of lives at stake and, human or not, they matter. When Hurricane Katrina knocked out even emergency generators, much of the aquatic population at New Orleans’ Audubon Aquarium perished.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

When marine life is involved, staying put is almost always the best option, and ahead of Hurricane Irma, no one at Zoo Miami suggested trying to relocate the animals. In fact, communications director Ron Magill told NPR that the stress of evacuating alone can be enough to kill an animal, depending on their constitution.

Most of the night enclosures built for the big carnivores are strong enough to withstand anything a hurricane can toss their way, but birds and smaller mammals are relocated to kennels or indoors to weather the storm – a practice Zoo Miami instituted after losing nearly 100 birds during Hurricane Andrew.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The zoos who are a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums are a family and look out for each other, with several bringing supplies and aid to the Houston area after Hurricane Harvey. They also set up a relief fund to raise money for affected employees and their families.

So rest assured that the North and South Carolina zoos and aquariums likely to be affected by Hurricane Florence have been preparing for the coming storm and feel as if they’re ready to weather the storm – with their animal charges – as responsibly as possible.

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People who are super into animals often know all kinds of crazy and little-known facts about their beloved creatures. For this one, these animal lovers go into detail on the weirdest and most obscure things they’ve learned – and we’re all the better for it.

#15. Seals.

“Seals will get seasick if you put them on a boat.”

#14. Dragonflies.

“Dragonflies have the best successful kill rate of any creature on earth.”

#13. Cheetahs.

“Cheetahs are so closely related to each other that you can freely transplant organs between all members of their species without needing immunosuppression.”

#12. Sloth hands.

“Sloth hands work opposite to ours. They have to exert energy to open their “fist” and relax to close it. This is how they can hang from trees while they’re sleeping and not fall off.”

#11. Opossums.

“Opossums were originally found in the eastern and central parts of the United States until the 1930s when they were intentionally transported to the Western portion to be used as food during the Great Depression.”

#10. The American bison.

“The American bison is the only animal in which both lungs share a common cavity. In every other animal the lungs are separated. What this meant is that when shot by an arrow, both lungs would collapse and the buffalo would suffocate quickly. (For other animals, being shot in the chest would only collapse one lung, and they would at least have a chance) That’s why such a large animal could be taken down with relatively small weapons.”

#9. Okapi.

“People thought the okapi was a hoax until it was photographed. In parts of Sumatra it is believed that the orangutan can speak and refuses to do so because they don’t want to work.”

#8. Ants.

“Ants breed and domesticate aphids around their colonies, so they can drink their milky secretions. Aphids are ant cows. So ladybugs, then, would be like ant chupacabras.

Edit: Thanks to everyone for both appreciating this ant fact, and for educating me with more ant facts.”

#7. Scorpionfly.

“There’s an insect called the scorpiofly that impresses mates by bringing them prey to eat. The bigger the meal, the better.

Only, some scorpionflies aren’t that great at catching food. So some of these males will imitate females, and wait for other males to bring them their gifts. Then they take the gift, fly away, and give it to an actual female.

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/31/archives/male-fly-benefits-through-female-imitation-female-invited-to-dine.html”

#6. The color red.

“There aren’t a lot of bees in Australia, so for pollenation plants relied on birds. Birds see the colour red better, which in turn increased the flora reproduction rate – this is why a lot of plants are red in Australia.”

#5. Snails.

“A snail has over 2000 teeth.”

#4. I like fish.

“Fish have been seen using tools – deliberately hitting a clam with a rock to get it to open so they can eat it. Some fish (eels and groupers) form hunting partnerships where they communicate across the species barrier with specific signals to put their individual strengths to work (the eels chase prey out of crevices to where the groupers are waiting in open water). They also get fooled by illusions in the same way we do, meaning that their brains are processing and interpreting their environment in a similar way to us.

That’s technically three facts but I like fish.”

#3. Polar bears.

“Polar bears are so efficient at storing Vitamin A, consuming polar bear liver can cause death….one polar bear liver contains enough Vitamin A to kill 52 adult humans.”

#2. The Greenland shark.

“The Greenland shark reaches sexual maturity at 150 years old and lives 300-500 years. Always fascinates me that theres something that can live that long.”

#1. Ostrich.

“On ostrich farms, some farmers have a hard time with breeding because the ostrich is more attracted to humans than other ostriches.

That’s right, somewhere out there an ostrich wants to fuck you.

http://scicurious.scientopia.org/2012/01/13/friday-weird-science-is-that-ostrich-flirting-with-me/”

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