With millions of people ordered to evacuate Florida as Hurricane Irma crashed ashore, most animals didn’t have the ability to get out of the way. Like the creatures at Busch Gardens in Tampa.
Luckily, as Busch Gardens has tweeted over and over again in the past day, “keeping our animals safe is very important to us,” and staff has remained in place in order to protect those who live there.
That includes the flamingos, which have been relocated and are now in a protected area. Through it all, the birds remained extraordinarily calm as they were marched in a single-file line like they were a bunch of second-graders heading back to their classroom after lunch.
SINGLE FILE, EVERYONE! Flamingos being ushered to safety at @BuschGardens, along with other animals Stay safe, everyone! #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/d7ozWBndKH
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) September 10, 2017
This apparently was their final destination, a nice safe room with portraits of tigers and rhinoceroses on the wall. It’s a place where a flamingo can stand one-legged on some straw and reflect on his luck that he doesn’t have to be exposed to the elements.
Check this out. Flamingos @BuschGardens in Tampa being sheltered to escape #HurricaneIrma before it makes landfall. pic.twitter.com/1JC8n6Lkh0
— Daniella Hume (@DaniellaJHume) September 10, 2017
The flamingos at the Miami Zoo also were relocated to a new area to wait out the hurricane. But notice how the fancy-pants flamingos in south Florida were chauffeured to safety in golf carts.
At least both sets of flamingos had it better than the poor bastards in Miami who endured Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The flamingos of 25 years ago, after all, had to hang out in a public bathroom as the storm passed by.
Zoo Miami: Flamingos during Hurricane Andrew 1992 vs Flamingos during Hurricane Irma 2017 #miami #hurricaneIrma #florida pic.twitter.com/X9ZZr9hTU0
— Dade Waves (@dadewaves) September 10, 2017