On the day Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida, the century-old roadside attraction posted a photo of its Chilean flamingos huddling in front of restroom stalls. The Instagram caption of the now-viral image described the animals, “making quite the hurricane party. eating, drinking and dancing”. “It was mostly for our members and people who follow us,” said supervising director Dwayne Biggs. “It’s gone all over the country.” Sunken Gardens began preparing for the storm last week. The animals, who are used to spending the night inside, often face storms in another waterproof building on the premises. But with forecasts calling for a devastating storm barreling directly toward Tampa Bay, Sunken Gardens didn’t want to take any chances. The animals hunted in the main building, a two-story fortress supported by steel beams. The herd entered the women’s bunker next to the main lobby. If you stopped to use the restroom before visiting the gift shop, the image may have looked familiar. “We’ll sterilize it and clean it up afterwards,” Biggs said with a laugh Thursday. “We’ll move them first thing tomorrow morning.” The ladies room is not a bad place for a group of tropical birds. There are tiled benches and waterproofs, as well as drains throughout the floor. “It’s actually pretty close to what you would design for an overnight animal facility,” he said. “And it was the perfect size for our 21 flamingos.” The flamingos needed extra care. Three staff members took turns bringing in the birds one at a time. “There’s a special technique to transporting them safely,” Biggs said. “Their legs are very sensitive, so there’s a certain way to grab the legs and get them under and hug them… That took a while.” They spent the storm huddling together and gathering their usual meal of soaked flamingo pellets. Biggs checked on them every hour throughout the night. After a whirlwind 48 hours in the gardens, he finally returns home. The flamingos will remain in the bath one more night, to give time for the air to die down and for workers to clean up the debris. Since the storm wasn’t as bad as forecasters feared, Sunken Gardens hopes to reopen Saturday morning. The wedding is scheduled for that afternoon. While the herd isn’t moving yet, their photo continues to make the rounds on the internet. “I’m glad we got it published,” Biggs said. “Somewhat of a breath of fresh air here after this storm.” • • •
Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Ian coverage
HOW TO HELP: Where to donate or volunteer to help victims of Hurricane Ian. TAMPA BAY CLOSURES: What to know about bridges, roads in Ian’s wake WHEN THE STORM PASSES: And now what? Safety tips for returning home. QUESTIONS AFTER THE STORM: After Hurricane Ian, how to get help with downed trees, food, damaged shelter. WEATHER EFFECTS: Hurricane Ian was supposed to hit Tampa Bay head on. What happened? WHAT TO DO IF THE HURRICANE DAMAGED YOUR HOME: Keep calm and then call your insurance company. SCHOOLS: Will schools reopen quickly after Hurricane Ian? It depends. MORE STORM COVERAGE: Prepare and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane.
