Rescue workers in Cuba airlifted at least six dolphins from an aquarium in Cayo Guillermo just hours before Hurricane Irma ripped parts of the northern coast.
The workers removed the sea creatures from the water and onto mats, where they were placed in wet blankets and transported via helicopter to safety in the province of Cienfuegos, according to The Mirror.
The dolphinarum manager, Gonzalo Carrero Escobar, said officials will strive to make every effort possible to ensure the well-being of the dolphins.
Rescue workers in Cuba are shown wrapping dolphins in wet blankets before transporting them to safety
At least six dolphins were removed from the dolphinarum in Cayo Guillermo
Dolphinarum manager, Gonzalo Carrero Escobar, said officials will strive to make every effort possible to ensure the well-being of the sea creatures
Rescue workers were seen comforting the dolphins Friday
Trainers were seen comforting the sea creatures in photographs taken of the process before Irma hit Friday night.
‘If the weather situation does not allow us to keep them there, they will be displaced to the saltwater swimming pool of a hotel,’ Escobar told The Mirror.
Escobar said the dolphins have lived fulfilling lives while in the aquarium.
‘For the moment they have been placed in a swimming pool offering similar conditions to their natural life,’ he said.
Hurricane Irma hit Cuba as Category 5 and destroyed much of the island’s infrastructure. No deaths were reported in the region as of Saturday.
They were carried in to a helicopter and transported to Cienfuegos
‘If the weather situation does not allow us to keep them there, they will be displaced to the saltwater swimming pool of a hotel,’ Escobar told The Mirror
Irma hit Cuba as Category 5 and destroyed much of the island’s infrastructure
The storm swept across Florida Saturday, and was downgraded from Category 5 to Category 3 as winds hit at 125 mph,The New York Times reported.
At least 25 people in the state were confirmed dead.
Florida governor Rick Scott said during a news conference the state is expected to get even more rain, and areas of the Florida Keys were predicted to receive as much as 25 inches.
‘If you have been ordered to evacuate, you need to leave now,’ Scott announced at the conference. ‘This is your last chance to make a good decision.’
Scott said more than 76,000 people have been left without electricity from the storm, while hundreds of shelters are continuing to welcome people.