Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium opens after damage to zoo grounds from tornado

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium says its animals and staff are safe following Friday's severe storms and tornado touchdowns. The storms did damage to the zoo grounds.

"Primarily, a lot of wind damage. Yes, there are some trees down, you know. Tree limbs," said Alex Cauley, public relations and media manager at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.

Cauley says the fierce rains and winds flashed by, and it's exactly why the staff train and do drills for this event.

"When that does happen, we do communicate both internally to our staff and then also externally through a radio system to our guests to seek shelter."

The zoo handlers moved fast, capitalizing on that special bond with their animals to encourage quick cooperation.

"Fortunately, this did happen at the end of the day. So, a lot of this is already in with their daily routine. This is kind of the normal hour to be heading inside, so that did work to our advantage."

The extent of the damage is not yet known, but the National Weather Service already visited.

"They did visit us here on grounds to, kind of, assess everything. It has been confirmed that it was, in fact, a tornado," Cauley added.

"It's kind of an ever-evolving situation. So, if we decide that we can't operate tomorrow, that might be something that we won't know until as late as tomorrow morning itself."

The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium posted an update on their social media pages Saturday morning, letting the community know they opened at their regular time. However, visitors are recommended to come after 11 a.m. for the best experience.

In:
• Pittsburgh Zoo
• Tornado