LEGACY & INSIGHTS
Mr. Sparklepants and 29 Flamingos Took Shelter in a Bathroom
ZooWorld flamingos made a restroom famous. Putting them there was a practical decision, and Zoo Miami made the same one in 1992.
Illustration: KMOB1003 Global Media.
The ZooWorld flamingos in Panama City Beach spent Hurricane Isaias in a bathroom. According to the New York Times, the video has drawn nearly 2 million views. The Times counted 30 birds in the flock. Mr. Sparklepants, 10, is its largest member and, per the Times, its most dominant. A zookeeper has raised Scuttle and Mango Shrimproll, both 3, since they were eggs.
The reason was wind. Staff moved the birds into a bathroom with block walls because, the Times reports, Isaias threatened the enclosure where the flock normally sleeps. Isaias made landfall near Destin on Oct. 9 as a Category 2 hurricane, ABC News reported, citing the National Weather Service.
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A Block-Walled Bathroom for the ZooWorld Flamingos
ZooWorld said preparation differed for every animal. For example, the Times reports that big snakes went into trash cans and male billy goats into the rabbit exhibit. Per the Times, Kylie Appleton, the senior zookeeper, filmed the ZooWorld flamingos before staff boarded up the door. Erika Newell, the chief operating officer, spent the night in an apartment on the grounds and woke every hour to check on the animals.
Newell has worked with ZooWorld since 2017, the Times reports, through storms including Hurricane Michael. She belongs to a network that supports zoos in disasters. The choice, she said, comes down to this: “I either get these animals inside or they don’t make it.” She called the flamingos’ cramped spot perfect, and the Times adds that the tight space calmed them. It cites no veterinary guidance, and we did not locate any.
WATCH / HURRICANE ISAIAS
Thirty flamingos shelter inside a bathroom at ZooWorld in Panama City Beach during Hurricane Isaias. Video: ZooWorld Panama City Beach / Senior Zookeeper Kylie Appleton, via Storyful.
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Zoo Miami Did This in 1992, Before the ZooWorld Flamingos
The Times compares the ZooWorld flamingos to a photo taken at a Miami zoo during Hurricane Andrew. Zoo Miami’s flamingos did weather that 1992 storm in a public restroom, NPR reported. Ron Magill of Zoo Miami told Snopes that moving the flock there was protocol whenever a hurricane warning went out. Atlas Obscura, as Snopes relays, called the room an obvious choice: no windows, a tile floor, space for hay and ready water.
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What the ZooWorld Flamingos Do and Do Not Prove
That comparison establishes a documented precedent, not a one-off gag. It does not, however, establish that a restroom is the best option, or that other zoos do the same. Magill said Zoo Miami later added a concrete holding block that now houses its flamingos in intense storms, Snopes reports. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums requires accredited members to run annual disaster drills, NPR reported in 2017. It leaves each zoo to write its own plan. We found nothing on whether ZooWorld’s plan follows any such standard.
All of ZooWorld’s animals survived, Nexstar reported. The ZooWorld flamingos got the attention. But the hourly checks were the work.
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Signal Breakdown
Confirmed / Documented
- The National Hurricane Center issued advisories for Hurricane Isaias (storm AL092026) on Oct. 8 and 9, 2026, tracking it toward the northern Gulf Coast.
- ZooWorld Panama City Beach shared a video of flamingos sheltering in a restroom during Hurricane Isaias and said preparation looked different for every animal, as reported by CBS Newspath, Nexstar and NBC News.
- Zoo Miami’s flamingos sheltered in a public restroom during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, per NPR. Snopes confirmed the photograph with its photographer.
- ZDR3 (Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery) is a nonprofit that describes itself as coordinating a network that provides experienced personnel to zoos, aquariums and sanctuaries during natural disasters.
Reported / Attributed
- The New York Times (Maia Spoto, Oct. 11, 2026) reports 30 flamingos, including Mr. Sparklepants, 10, and Scuttle and Mango Shrimproll, both 3; that the bathroom’s block walls protected the birds from winds threatening their usual enclosure; that Kylie Appleton filmed the flock before staff boarded up the door; that Erika Newell checked the animals every hour overnight; and that the video has drawn nearly 2 million views.
- The Times reports that Newell has worked with ZooWorld since 2017, has been through storms including Hurricane Michael, and belongs to a network that supports zoos in disasters. The Times does not name that network in its text; it links to ZDR3.
- Newell called the flamingos’ spot perfect. The Times adds that the tight space calmed them and cites no veterinary guidance. It also reports that a mirror made the birds show off, which pairs an observation with an interpretation of what the birds saw.
- Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2026 as a Category 2 hurricane, per the National Weather Service as reported by ABC News and The Weather Channel.
- All of ZooWorld’s animals survived (Nexstar), and the zoo planned to reopen Sunday (CBS Newspath).
- The Times draws the comparison to the Hurricane Andrew photograph. Ron Magill told Snopes the restroom was Zoo Miami’s hurricane protocol and that the zoo later added a concrete holding block for its flamingos. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums requires annual disaster drills for accredited members, per NPR in 2017.
Not Established
Available evidence does not establish:
- the wind speeds at the zoo itself
- that a restroom is the best shelter for flamingos, or that confinement calms them; the Times cites no veterinary guidance, and none was located
- whether ZooWorld’s plan follows Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards or is written down; Newell’s network membership is not a standard
- who decided on the bathroom, or why other shelter options were not used
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