TAMPA, Fla — As Hurricane Milton reaches its end, The Florida Aquarium is showcasing how the animals and facilities faired through the storm.
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“Our buildings weathered the storm well, as did our animals”, confirmed President & CEO of the Aquarium Roger German, who took part in an initial assessment post-Milton. “Our priority today is to provide the best care for our animals and undertake a more thorough assessment of the buildings”
Ahead of Hurricane Milton, The Florida Aquarium had taken extreme measures to ensure the safety of its animals as part of their comprehensive hurricane plan.
Prior to the storm, staff and volunteers placed a heavy emphasis on animal relocation. Residents of the aquarium were relocated to higher ground in efforts to avoid any dangers of flash flooding.
Animals relocated include penguins, moon jellyfish, alligators, snakes, and others. Watch to see how staff was able to transport the penguins to higher ground.
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Among the relocated was Calintina, a sea turtle who was previously relocated from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium after it was impacted by Hurricane Helene. Watch to see how staff was able to transport Calintina.
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Thousands of coral was transported under the Aquariums care as well, including various endangered species such as the pillar and elkhorn coral.
Since the Aquarium is the only in the world to care for pillar coral and holding the largest population of reproductive-size elkhorn coral, extreme care had to be taken which can be seen in the video below.
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The Florida Aquarium encourages supporters to stay tuned to their social media channels regarding updates and the Aquariums reopening.
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