How farm animals survived Milton: ‘Animals are smarter than us’

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How farm animals survived Milton: ‘Animals are smarter than us’

MSN
Sydney Page
October 11, 2024

As Hurricane Milton was fast-approaching, Sara Weldon and her husband, Rick Bass, made a decision: They would not leave their animals.

The couple — who live on a small farm in Clermont, Fla., between Tampa and Orlando — rode out the storm on their seven-acre property with their farm animals. They have 10 donkeys, nine cows, four goats, one cat, six dogs and about 100 chickens.

“We raised every animal since they were babies. They’re basically our children,” said Weldon.

The couple — whose home was not in a mandatory evacuation zone — knew it would have been safer for them to leave the state, they said, but they wouldn’t have been able to transport all their animals with them.

“We couldn’t move everybody, and there’s no way we would leave them,” she said. “We just made the decision we’re going to prepare and do everything we can to keep ourselves and our animals safe.”

Weldon posted about it on social media, and got a huge response.

“We’re not evacuating, and please don’t ask me to,” Weldon said in a tearful video, which has been viewed 4.2 million times. “We’re not leaving them.”

People around the world followed, anxiously watching for updates as the storm hit.

“Australians are crying with you, we wish we could bring you and your animals here so badly,” someone commented on Weldon’s TikTok.

(more)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/how-farm-animals-survived-milton-animals-are-smarter-than-us/ar-AA1s6gbo

[rustynail]

https://x.com/catturd2/status/1846307332814242053

[catfish1957]

I understand the premise, but one of the eeriest post hurricane moments I remember was back in September 2005, when Rita ripped through my area.  For a while at night, there was stone cold silence...  No crickets, frogs, animals, anything.  It took a few weeks for the critters to return. 

And by day a chorus of chain saws.....

[Smokin Joe]

I understand the premise, but one of the eeriest post hurricane moments I remember was back in September 2005, when Rita ripped through my area.  For a while at night, there was stone cold silence...  No crickets, frogs, animals, anything.  It took a few weeks for the critters to return. 

And by day a chorus of chain saws.....

Critters (except Blue Jays) get really quiet when something is going down.
If you see them bugging out, en masse, it's time to follow (or at least assess the threat).
Of course, YOU might be the threat they perceive. In a new environment, I'd always walk softly (no boom box or radio--ick!), find a good place to sit still and be quiet and wait for the normal noises to return. That way, if they changed, I'd know something was up.