Featured Image Credit: Screenshot
While humans have the ability and the means to evacuate during an impending hurricane, wild animals don’t quite have the same luxury. As nearly 6 million people fled or took shelter during Hurricane Irma, many poor animals had to fend for themselves through the worst of Irma’s wrath.
When the hurricane completely annihilated the northern Keys of Cuba, hundreds of flamingos were left injured or killed due to the 160 mile-per-hour winds that swept through the area as you can see from the heartbreaking video below (warning: graphic images.)
It’s well known that some animals are able to sense impending weather like a hurricane, so they’re able to prepare themselves or try to reach safety. Research has even shown that birds can pick up on environmental changes, like drops in barometric pressure and infrared sound, that indicate something bad is coming. However, for these Cuban flamingos, it was too late to migrate and there was nowhere for them to take shelter during the storm.
We can only hope that these beautiful birds will be able to receive help and rehabilitation now that the storm has passed.