Irma smashes into Florida coast bringing tornadoes, tidal surges and 130mph winds

The outer bands of Hurricane Irma struck Miami on Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and winds to the city 

Students enter a shelter at the Florida International University in Miami on Saturday after being evacuated 

Florida's animals take up shelter in the county jail as inmates are evacuated in convoy of convict buses 

Mo the sloth and Kramer the emu are as innocent as they come, but they are doing time in a Florida county jail to protect them from the worst of Hurricane Irma.

So are many horses, pigs, goats, sheep, tropical birds, alligators, snakes, turtles and a few other species that the sheriff's office cares for at a farm for abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated animals.

Once the 426 humans who normally occupy cells at the Monroe County Jail were evacuated by bus to lockups in Palm Beach County, there was an opportunity to move 250 animals indoors, rather than leave them exposed to Hurricane Irma's storm surge, flooding rains and pounding wind.

Mo the sloth eating an ear of corn as it is evacuated from the Monroe County Sheriff's animal farm Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Key West, Fla. The 250 animals from the farm were relocated to the city jail

'We're as ready as we can be,' Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said.

Five dolphins were moved from the Florida Keys to central Florida in advance of the storm, but most zoos in the Miami area said they were trying to keep their animals in place and secure from whatever Irma will bring.

Authorities in Palm Beach County were being alerted to many animals chained or caged in yards by fleeing owners - these pets have been rescued and will have new homes, they said.

'We are pretty clear, when you surrender your animal you give up your rights,' Dianne Sauve, the director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Hundreds of thoroughbreds were moved from low-lying areas of Gulfstream Park, near Miami, to training facilities and barns farther north. Some animal shelters were relocating dogs and cats to safer facilities, and a humane society near Tampa said it needed temporary foster homes for more than 100 dogs.

'We live in a hurricane-prone area so our facilities are designed to accommodate these storms,' said Brian Dowling, the general curator at Lion Country Safari in Palm Beach County, where lions, chimpanzees, rhinos and more were staying put. 

'Obviously, everything can't be hurricane-proof.'

Many of their animals were moved into pens designed to hold up even if nearby buildings were lost in storms or tornadoes. Others were kept in their usual day-to-day habitat, some even with gates left open within their normal spaces.

The reason, Mr Dowling said, is simple, animals sense when things are not right, and raising their stress can complicate matters.

'We allow those animals to decide where they want to go,' Mr Dowling said. 'It actually reduces the stress level considerably. Their instincts tell them how to ride out the storm.'

SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was keeping workers on-site at all hours to care for and monitor the animals.

...[ Continue to next page ]