By Sara Westhead
Published Nov 6, 2014 at 8:00 am (Updated Nov 7, 2014 at 1:41 pm)

Principal curator Ian Walker inspects the damage to the Bermuda Aquarium,
Museum and Zoo after Hurricane Gonzalo struck the Island last month

It takes a great deal of time and energy to prepare your home for an impending storm — making sure your home is secure, that you have an ample supply of food and water, and, if you have pets, making sure they are kept inside and safe.

So, can you imagine the work that is involved with preparing a facility filled with animals, like the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo?

“The safety of our staff and the animals in our care is the topmost concern for BAMZ,” said head zoo keeper, Tricha Cross. “There is an extensive hurricane preparedness plan which ramps up as the storm gets closer and goes into full force once it is confirmed that the Island will be affected. A full-time zoo keeper, an aquarist and facility technician volunteer to stay in the most secure part of the facility and be here throughout the storm — they are the first ones here in the event major damages occur and need to be attended to immediately.”

Special care is taken with each and every animal to determine the best way to care for them and protect them during the storm.

“Nearly all of the animals in the zoo already have secure holding areas in which they regularly spend their nights. The animals can be locked in these holdings during times of bad weather to ensure their safety. Most of our animals were kept inside for the duration of the storm. However, some animals, like our flamingoes and multiple species of duck, do not do well herded into a building. They can actually do more harm to themselves being locked inside than can occur being allowed to ‘weather the storm’ outside, so those animals are allowed to stay in their exhibit enclosures where they are comfortable and can cope with the storm the same way they would if they were in the wild.”

There are equal challenges for the Aquarium staff, who not only had to go through their regular hurricane preparedness measures as Gonzalo approached, but also work around the ongoing construction to the Aquarium Display Hall roof and pick up from the damage caused by Tropical Storm Fay which tore down lighting fixtures, tarpaulins and other equipment that had been out during Fay’s visit.

Typically, the aquarists will fill barrels of salt water to store for after the storm, move the food from the prep kitchen to the walk-in freezer, which has a generator, and prepare special foods that will store longer. They also need to make sure that our aquatic animals are protected from any possible exposure and danger.