A room on the first floor of North Carolina Zoo’s animal hospital has been converted to an indoor aviary, with parrots and cockatoos squawking and flying in enclosures designed to keep them safe. Zoos all across the Carolinas are preparing for a monster storm that on Thursday began lashing the East Coast with tropical-force winds. At the North Carolina Zoo, a “ride-out crew” consisting of arborists, veterinarians, keepers and park rangers is being assembled to stay at the zoo during the storm to take care of any emergencies. “The North Carolina Zoo’s top priority is the safety and security of our people and the 1,600 animals under our care,” Diane Villa, a zoo spokeswoman told Fox News. Other zoos in Virginia and the Carolinas will be closed as they finish securing all the animals and their habitats before the strong Category 2 hurricane makes landfall.

Source: Fox News September 13, 2018 15:36 UTC