30 Florida Flamingos Shelter in Zoo Bathroom as Hurricane Isaias Video Nears 2 Million Views

Q: What bizarre emergency tactics do zoos secretly use to keep dangerous snakes and delicate exotic birds alive when massive storms strike?

Zoos often resort to improvised but effective storm shelters: dangerous snakes may be secured in trash cans, while fragile birds such as flamingos can be packed into bathrooms or other reinforced indoor spaces. At ZooWorld in Panama City Beach during Hurricane Isaias, staff moved about 30 flamingos into a bathroom because its block walls offered better protection than their wind-exposed outdoor habitat. The birds were kept between the sink and stalls, and the door was boarded up to shield them from high winds. Zoo officials said the tight quarters also appeared to calm the flock. The same emergency planning extended to other animals. ZooWorld staff put snakes into trash cans and moved billy goats into the rabbit exhibit, using whatever sturdy indoor areas or containers were available to reduce risk during the storm. The approach may sound bizarre, but it reflects standard crisis logic in zoos: prioritize physical safety over normal housing conditions when severe weather makes enclosures dangerous. ZooWorld’s chief operating officer, Erika Newell, stayed on site through the storm and checked animals overnight. Her account underscored the practical reality behind such measures: during hurricanes, zookeepers sometimes have to use unconventional spaces to keep animals alive. The flamingos’ bathroom shelter also echoed a well-known image from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, when flamingos at a Miami zoo were similarly brought indoors for protection.

Q: How did a cramped bathroom and a simple mirror become the ultimate lifesaver for thirty flamingos during a raging hurricane?

The bathroom became a lifesaver because it was the safest available storm shelter: an indoor space with solid block walls, far less exposed to Hurricane Isaias’s high winds than the flamingos’ outdoor enclosure. ZooWorld staff moved about 30 flamingos into the restroom before the storm hit and boarded up the door, creating a secure, enclosed barrier against flying debris and dangerous gusts. In a hurricane, that kind of hard-walled interior room can mean the difference between survival and serious injury for birds kept in open habitats. The cramped conditions also appear to have helped behaviorally. ZooWorld chief operating officer Erika Newell said the tight quarters seemed to calm the flock, much like a snug enclosure can reduce stress in animals. Instead of scattering or panicking, the birds huddled together between the sink and stalls, which likely made them easier to keep settled through the night. The mirror played a smaller but useful role. Zookeepers said the flamingos reacted to their reflections as if they were seeing other flamingos, which appeared to entertain or reassure them. For a highly social flock, that visual stimulus may have reduced agitation in an unfamiliar shelter. So the “ultimate lifesaver” was really a combination of practical hurricane planning and animal behavior: a sturdy bathroom protected the birds physically, while the close quarters and even a simple mirror helped keep them calm until the storm passed.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 11

30 flamingos at ZooWorld in Panama City Beach were moved into a bathroom before Hurricane Isaias, where block walls shielded them from winds threatening their usual enclosure.
Nearly 2 million views turned the flock into an online sensation after senior zookeeper Kylie Appleton filmed the birds honking, frolicking and reacting to their mirror reflections before the door was boarded up.
Zoo staff improvised across the park as the storm approached, coiling large snakes into trash cans and moving male billy goats into the rabbit exhibit while chief operating officer Erika Newell checked animals through the night.
ZooWorld has relied on similar storm tactics before, with Newell saying years of hurricanes including 2018's Category 5 Michael have taught staff to get animals indoors by whatever space is safest.