The animals are taken to safety before Hurricane Milton

Chompers the porcupine is lured with carrots and strawberries into a transport cage at Zoo Tampa in the US. He and the other animals at the zoo must be brought to safety before the expected arrival of Hurricane Milton.

The orangutans watch curiously as elephants are taken to sheltered areas at the zoo, where there are hurricane-proof buildings.

– We hope that the animals are exposed to minimal stress, that is always our goal, says Tiffany Burns, who evacuates the animals.

The staff is trying to maintain a positive attitude in preparation for the storm, but everyone is worried about how their own homes will be affected by the storm, she says.

– It is very difficult to see such a powerful storm coming back at us so soon.

Debris still lies around the region after Hurricane Helene tore from northern Florida to the Appalachian mountain range in late September. Over 230 people died in Helen’s wake across the southeastern United States.

Almost the entire west coast of Florida is covered by the hurricane warning for Milton, which during the night of Tuesday local time was downgraded from a category 5 hurricane to a category 4. According to the forecasts, however, it still represents “an extremely serious threat to Florida”.