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

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.

“I pray for you from Germany! I can feel your pain” another person wrote.

Weldon - who got hundreds of offers from farm owners across the country to take in her animals - explained that the safest thing for most farm animals during a hurricane is to leave them outside rather than in a barn.

Weldon and her husband filled up their bathtubs in their home with water and bought plenty of supplies ahead of the storm. Outside, they secured all the fencing and stocked up on food for the animals. They kept their 8-month-old donkey indoors with them, as well as their baby chickens.

“Animals are smarter than us,” Weldon said in a phone interview with The Washington Post. “They instinctively know where to go to be safe.”

She and her husband saw that firsthand, when they went outside at 2:30 a.m. during the storm to check on the animals.

“Our pack of donkeys were huddled together,” Weldon said. “They huddle together to be a break in the wind. It’s really cool.”

Still, “I went to bed not knowing if I would see them again,” she said.

Social media accounts like Weldon’s went viral as followers worried about the survival of farm animals across Florida - including Graci Lovering’s horse and 10 cows. She posted a TikTok of her painting names and phone numbers (using an All-Weather Paintstik) on her animals in case the fence surrounding the property was damaged and the animals escaped. It got more than 26 million views.

Lovering and her family decided not to leave their 32-acre property in Lakeland, Fla. They, too, stayed close to the animals, as their home was also not in a mandatory evacuation zone.

“The animals are safest out in the pasture because if they were in the barn, they could get trapped or hit with a fallen tree,” Lovering said. “Out in the pasture, they can run from debris and fallen trees. These animals know what to do. They put their backs to the wind and stand in a line.”

Strangers were still concerned.

“I’m crying just thinking about all the animals. I can’t take it,” someone commented on Lovering’s video.

“PLEASE UPDATE,” another person wrote.

Many other Hurricane Milton animal videos spread far and wide online, including one of a trio of goats wearing life jackets, which has nearly 4 million views.

“Thousands upon thousands of strangers were sending us messages of love and prayers,” said Weldon. “It was so comforting.”

Weldon and her husband started rescuing donkeys during the pandemic, and they have plans to move to Tennessee to start a donkey sanctuary in the next few months.

“They’re such amazing animals,” Weldon said.

After the storm passed, Weldon and her husband - along with millions of people on social media - were relieved.

“Everyone is amazingly okay,” Weldon said, adding that her property is filled with debris and floodwater, and they have no cell service or power. “Compared to what I’m sure others experienced near the coast, this is nothing. We got lucky.”

Lovering also gave people a much-anticipated update on TikTok that all her animals were okay.

“I feel like an animal social worker checking on all the animals today,” someone commented.

“You were on my check-on list today. I’m so happy to hear you, your family and all your babies are all safe,” wrote another follower.

Many said they were moved to tears.

Victori Koepsell also got an enormous swell of support after she shared an update on her four horses.

“They’re more than just horses to me; they’re family,” said Koepsell, who lives in Central Florida, about 50 minutes outside Orlando. “Milton hit us directly, and it felt like nothing in its path was safe.”

Koepsell, who was not in a mandatory evacuation zone, decided to let her horses roam in the open pasture. She said she did what she could to fortify her home, but she was more focused on the animals.

“I was terrified all night, but I knew it was the best chance they had,” she said. “I didn’t know if I would wake up to find them all alive.”

After the storm passed, Koepsell rushed to her barn, her heart racing. One by one, her horses came to greet her, and they all surrounded her in a circle.

“It’s moments like that where the bond between you and your animals is undeniable,” she said.

Koepsell said she was deeply touched by how many people cared.

“The support and the warmth from total strangers has brought me an unexpected peace,” she said. “It’s amazing what love can do to the soul, even when it’s from people you’ve never met.”