When Super Typhoon Mawar made landfall as a category 4 storm on May 25, the founders of the island’s only zoo were riding it out in their home with many of their smaller animals, including Mariana fruit bats, birds, and turtles. A representative from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), who was working in a disaster response role, immediately recognized the need for additional support and recommended a resource the Cushings weren’t aware of: Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3).

Earlier this month, icing from Winter Storm Mara uprooted trees and dropped limbs throughout the Austin Zoo. No animals were injured because they were all in their night houses and dens. The storm left the animals’ outdoor habitats littered with debris, and damage to some fencing and roofs. The zoo was closed for six days while their staff cleared visitor paths, creating massive brush piles they struggled to remove. The zoo’s executive director, Patti Clark, realized it was time to call Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3) for assistance

Applegate Park Zoo’s animals have returned home from the Monterey Zoo. A team from the Monterey Zoo, in Salinas, CA, evacuated more than a dozen animals on January 13, when Applegate Park Zoo was under threat of flooding. The evacuated animals included bears, bobcats, coyote, foxes, monkeys, deer, and raccoons. Monterey Zoo housed and cared for the animals for three weeks, which allowed Applegate Zoo to recover and perform necessary repairs.

More than a dozen animals evacuated from Applegate Park Zoo in Merced, CA, which was under threat of flooding, arrived at Monterey Zoo at midnight on Friday, January 13. The evacuated animals included bears, bobcats, coyote, foxes, monkeys, deer, and raccoons. Monterey Zoo founder, Charlie Sammut, says the animals are welcome to stay at his zoo as long as necessary. Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3) coordinated the evacuation.