Oct
23
Storm prep’s all happening at the zoo
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By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
WEST PALM BEACH – Two by two and flock by flock, animals at the Palm Beach Zoo will move to shelter today.
Zookeepers plan to shepherd hundreds of animals to safety in advance of Hurricane Wilma, taking care to keep predators away from prey. Bears probably will move in with cranes, and the tiger will camp with kangaroos.
Like Noah before the great flood, zoo workers will keep pairs of the same species together. Animals seem to stay calmer if they have a companion, said Keith Lovett, living collections director at the zoo.
Nearly all of the species survived Hurricanes Jeanne and Frances last year and should be just fine, he said. Some of the larger animals, like llamas, tapirs and the tortoise, simply sit down to wait out the storms. “Nothing is going to blow around a 600-pound tortoise,” Lovett said.
But hurricanes are difficult for some species not bred for South Florida weather. Asian songbirds had to be kept inside last year because their habitat was destroyed, and a few died of illnesses exacerbated by the stress. High-strung animals like emus and white-tailed deer panicked. The kangaroos bounced off without looking and crashed into fences and trees, Lovett said.
“Their normal instinct is to flee. They just don’t think,” he said.
Animals that need protection will ride out the storm with zoo workers in the restaurant and a second building. Last year, the workers treated a few animals for minor injuries – and saved the life of one diabetic ferret. The small animal went into a seizure during the storm, but recovered when workers were able to administer sugar water.
Zookeepers probably will leave more of the larger animals outside, where they will be in familiar surroundings. Nearly all have some type of shelter in their enclosures, where they can hide from the rain.
Tropical animals seem particularly well-adapted to the weather and might do best outside, Lovett said. Flamingos simply lie down under the water in a storm, using their long necks like snorkels to breathe.
And some animals behaved so badly in the shelter that they will not be invited back. One rooster in particular crowed every three minutes as slow, soggy Hurricane Frances stalled over the coast.
“Needless to say, there will be no rooster this year,” Lovett said.
Last year’s hurricanes decimated habitats and landscaping, closing the zoo for 10 weeks. Officials hope they will be able to reopen more quickly this time around. They are worried about the storm’s timing, with the annual Halloween event, Boo at the Zoo, scheduled to start Friday.
But as usual, Lovett said, the people at the zoo probably are more concerned than the animals.
The prairie dogs have proved to be resilient Florida transplants. They go into their holes to hide from the wind, then pop up their heads to look around.
As soon as Wilma passes, they will go back to work rebuilding their homes, Lovett said.
Copyright 2005 The Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc.
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
October 23, 2005 Sunday
FINAL EDITION
SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 3C
LENGTH: 480 words