US-WEATHER-HURRICANE-CLIMATE-MILTON

A mother and child orangutan look on before being moved to protected areas at Zoo Tampa ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall in the middle of this week on October 7, 2024 in Florida. In the midst of this turmoil, Tiffany Burns is preparing a different kind of evacuation. The 41-year-old, director of the Tampa Zoo's animal program, oversees where the zoo's guests - elephants, rhinos, orangutans, etc. - will be spending the storm. The zoo has several hurricane-proof buildings where it plans to move all of its animals in the next few hours. "We hope they suffer as little stress as possible, that's always our goal," Burns explains. In a small enclosure, two zookeepers lure a porcupine into a cage by feeding it pieces of carrot and strawberry. Once the animal is enclosed, they carefully lift it into a golf cart and take it under cover. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)