This past week, all throughout the south, there have been keepers, maintenance teams, vets, and volunteers hunkered down in their zoos and aquariums. They are spending their time doing two things. 1.) Their jobs. 2.) Waiting. These are the ride out teams, the staff who are staying at their facility, day and night, so that they can be ready to respond in the face of the ongoing storms.
Some facilities - those which have had to go through this a lot - may have set things up nicely for their staff - actual beds, for instance. For those who are doing this on the wing, their accommodations might be an air mattress in the zoo hospital, or maybe a sleeping bag on the conference room table. Food and distraction aren't that big of a challenge as long as the power is still on. Many will have MREs and dry, nonperishables ready for if the electricity goes out. While they are waiting, they may huddle around a laptop and watch a movie when not working. Once the waiting is over - well, then they have plenty to distract them.
Many zoos in the south are prepared to handle big storms in the same way that zoos in the north are prepared for blizzards. Having a contingency plan is a requirement for zoos and aquariums, implemented recently by USDA. Those plans might involve facility design, equipment, possibly evacuation, and, perhaps most importantly, staffing. Someone needs to be there to take care of animals. And with flooded roads, poor visibility, and other dangerous driving conditions, the safest course of action is often for the staff to go in and stay in until the danger has passed.
I have several friends who are riding out the storm with their animals this week. So far, all have been posting updates indicating that they - and their animals - are safe. A few other friends - mostly non-animal care staff, such as educators - have evacuated to get out of the storm's path. I'm glad that, knock on wood, all of them are safe and sound.
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