When Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Caribbean, people in Florida started preparing for evacuation.
They loaded up their cars with gas, clothes, and emergency supplies, got their storm shutters up and boarded their windows, and made evacuation plans.
It was a scary time for everyone involved — but it was also pretty terrifying for the animals involved.
Both domesticated animals and wild animals could sense the storm coming, but many of them couldn't evacuate the same way humans could.
Most people know to take their pets with them when they leave before a hurricane, but it's a lot harder when it comes to outdoor animals like horses, cows, and chickens.
Recently, a photo from Key West, Florida, of chickens evacuating the storm went viral. And it makes sense — I mean, do you know how chickens evacuate?
According to the photo, they travel wrapped in newspaper and masking tape!
[H/T: Country Living]
The photo, posted by Key West Finest on September 6, 2017, got a ton of attention immediately.
Within nine days, the post had over 31,000 reactions and over 47,000 shares.
The photo's caption reads:
CHICKEN EVACUATION
Gotta love the people in Key West! Thank you to Local Selfie Celeb Jayesh Mani for doing what the rest of us only wished for!
The photo is pretty incredible. It shows nine chickens wrapped up in newspaper and taped with masking tape.
The stunning part of the photo is that the chickens all seem perfectly content.
Some people were worried about the chickens' safety, but this is actually a perfectly healthy way for chickens to travel.
After people expressed their concern and asked why they weren't all in individual cages or carriers, a chicken keeper, Lacey Bacon-Stonebraker, explained that they were completely safe.
Lacey wrote:
Good job! We loved watching the chickens while in key west.
Some are asking about pet carriers, well, the problem is you would need an individual carrier for every rooster, thereby, limiting the number of birds you could save.
You could probably put a couple hens with each Rooster, but you could not put two roosters in one carrier together as they would fight and hurt each other possibly kill each other.
The way the chickens are wrapped up with their wings tucked down, is how you carry a chicken you flatten their wings to their sides and carry them like a football under your arm, so really over all the chickens should be moderately comfortable and should not get hot.
I’m sure living in Key West the driver has air-conditioning plus the chickens are already used to extremely hot conditions.
My source? I own about 50 chickens and three roosters. Thanks for saving them!
While it might not be how you'd choose to transport chickens under normal circumstances, in the emergency rush to evacuate before Irma, we adore the people who took the time to make sure the flock got out safely.
If you're glad people saved animals before the hurricane hit, please SHARE this article with your friends!
