What happens to zoo animals during a hurricane?
Caroline AylwardJenn Jordan
ByCaroline AylwardandJenn Jordan•
September 18, 2026Updated: September 18, 2026, 10:47 am EDTPublished: September 18, 2026, 10:20 am EDT

What exactly happens to the animals in a zoo when a storm is bearing down? Surprisingly, the one thing they never do is evacuate, which can stress out certain species or even lead them closer to a storm’s path. Instead, most animals ride out the storm in their normal enclosures, which include night houses, stocked with extra food and water. Bathrooms can also make perfect bunkers, as Zoo Miami learned during Hurricane Andrew.

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