Hurricane Irene

[team tapir]

In light of the coming hurricane set to hit the east coast I thought we should start a thread on what is happening in those zoo/aquariums in the hurricane path. (Outer Banks-Maine)

Virginia Zoo said that they were preparing for it today (Fri.) and they have plenty of volunteers helping them do so. I would assume that this zoo might be the hardest hit, due to being closest to the coast.

National Zoo is closing Amazonia through Sunday and is putting up flood gates.

Philadelphia Zoo is moving some of their animals in starting today, and will decide later weather or not to close. On a side note all public transportation in Philly will be shut down Sat. midnight.

All WCS zoos are beginning prep. work.

Maryland Zoo, New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo, Roger Williams Zoo, and the National Aquarium in Baltimore I could not find any updates on.

-bonnie-team tapir

 

[Zooplantman]

In the 1996 NYC Sunday blizzard (3' snow) Bronx Zoo keepers started coming into the zoo as the snow fell, before their shifts, to make sure they were snowed IN rather than snowed out.
I do expect possible flooding (after all it is on a river) and potentially extensive loss of trees there.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/08/rats_may_fill_t.php

Philadelphia is in a better situation this time around, I think.

For the aquariums, loss of power is the great fear (remember Aquarium of the Americas during Katrina)

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2011/08/26/baltimore-tourist-spots-curtail-hours.html
The Maryland Zoo has already announced it will be closed tomorrow.

The National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center are taking wait-and-see stances entering the weekend. Representatives of each said they will adjust their operating schedule as weather conditions dictate, likely making those decisions Sunday morning.

New England braces for Hurricane Irene - The Boston Globe

Most animals at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham already have indoor shelters. But zoo staff was not taking chances. A half-dozen zookeepers will ride out the storm at the zoos to feed animals, repair fences, and cut down dangerous hanging branches, said John Linehan, president of Zoo New England.

If power goes out, they will be prepared with generators, since some animals are susceptible to small changes in temperature, like Lady Stanley, the bongo antelope born June 15, the day the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.

“She’s a delicate little thing still,’’ he said.

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo will be closed on Sunday, August 28th.

Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration on Saturday will only be open from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, and will be closed on Sunday. Also, the stingrays in the Stingray Touch Pool, the African Penguins in the Roger Tory Peterson Penguin exhibit, the seal in the Seal Rescue Clinic, and the birds in Birds of the Outback are now indoors. The animals in the Pacific Northwest and Arctic Coast exhibits will remain outdoors.

New York Aquarium, Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Prospect Park Zoo will be closed Saturday and Sunday.

 

[AnaheimZoo]

Praise those willing zookeepers who actually want to be with the animals during the storm, they're so kind. Even if Irene lets up slightly, she's bound to do some damage... hope all Northeastern zoos are prepared and make it through with no severe problems. I was wondering how nearby zoos would cope, thanks for the updates, team tapir!

 

[mweb08]

Well the MD Zoo continues to have bad fortune with weather as the swinging bridge in MD Wilderness was severly damaged by a large fallen tree. I guess some other stuff was affected as well.