Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, Florida residents had been preparing for days. Some were required to evacuate their homes, others did what they could to minimize potential damage and keep themselves and their loved ones safe and a handful chose to ride it out despite the potential risks.

As millions of people evacuated Florida's Gulf Coast, the African elephants, Caribbean flamingos, pigmy hippos and about 1,000 other animals are riding out the monstrous Hurricane Milton at Tampa's zoo.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park, located in Florida, announced on social media that it will be closed to guests from Oct. 8 to at least Oct. 10 to prepare for Hurricane Milton's arrival and its "projected impact" on the zoo's over 1,

Evacuation is unrealistic for many zoo and aquarium animals, so staffers are rolling out all their safety precautions as Hurricane Milton bears down.

And the animals won’t be alone: 12 workers have volunteered to stay behind at the zoo, which lies in an evacuation zone. “We have the staff there that know them and can watch and monitor their behavior and give them what they need to ensure that they’re comfortable,

Hurricane Milton slams Florida as a Category 3 storm; 1 million without power “I think the first one, we were freaking out. It definitely, as you get more accustomed to them, you see that everybody else is typically more calm and that gives you a little bit of reassurance,