Florida Aquarium moves their penguins and other animals to safety ahead of Hurricane Milton
TAMPA, Fla. (Gray News) - The Florida Aquarium is taking precautions to keep their animals safe as Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast.
The aquarium said in a press release that they’ve implemented their hurricane preparedness plan and has begun relocating animals in the event the aquarium experiences severe flooding during the hurricane.
The aquarium was closed to the public Tuesday in order to give their crews time to move animals and prepare for Milton’s arrival. The aquarium will remain closed until Saturday.
In a shared video, crews are seen helping move the aquarium’s penguins. The nine African penguins were moved from their first-floor enclosure to a higher floor where they’d be safe.
Along with the penguins, the aquarium also moved moon jellies, snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, toads, a sloth and a hermit crab to safer locations.
The aquarium also said a rescued sea turtle that came to them from Clearwater Marine Aquarium after it was impacted by Hurricane Helene will safely ride out the storm at their downtown campus.
“The safety of our animals is our top priority,” said Roger Germann, the president and CEO of the Florida Aquarium. “And we take every precaution to ensure their well-being during extreme weather events like Hurricane Milton.”
The aquarium reposted video from ABC News meteorologist Ginger Zee that shows more of their precaution efforts, including the relocation of their sloth and their penguins.
The aquarium also relocated thousands of corals, including the endangered pillar and elkhorn coral, to locations in Georgia, West Palm Beach and Miami. The aquarium is the only facility in the world that cares for the endangered pillar coral.
The Nationa Hurricane Center said the entire Tampa Bay region and south are at risk of a direct hit from Hurricane Milton. Storm surge from Hurricane Milton is projected to reach as high as 12 feet in Tampa Bay.
Milton is forecast to make landfall late Wednesday.
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