FORT WORTH -- The Fort Worth Zoo confirms that several birds were killed during Thursday morning's hail storm.
Avery Elander with the zoo told News 8 that five flamingos were killed -- one large, bright pink Caribbean and four pale lesser flamingoes.
The zoo also lost a pelican, a baby black necked swan, and an ibis.
The Fort Worth Zoo had already ramped up staffing for spring break. They needed all the help they could get to clear walkways of ice and debris.
All the hail intrigued young guests as much as the animals. Hailstones sat like millions of bird eggs lying around, or piled next to sidewalks.
Five-year-old Jay Bocell picked up a good sized chunk of ice.
"What is that Jay? Is it called hail? From the clouds?” his mother asked. “Did that hurt the flamingoes?"
"Some flamingoes died from the hail," 7-year-old Landon chimed in.
The Bocell family took it all in. They couldn't ride the carousel. Hailstones poked baseball-sized holes in its canvas top. The zoo train was down while staff checked the tracks.
One parking lot was flooded. Some skylights and a few signs got broken.
But big crowds poured in after the zoo opened an hour-and-a-half late at 11:30 a.m.
“We were going to come no matter what,” said Kimberly Bocell. “It's sad, but it's nature."
Zoo officials say all the animals were either in their night time shelters or could get to safety.
They say some simply didn't.
"We have a couple birds that are being treated in the hospital. They're doing well,” Alli Haltom said. “They're shocked and a little stunned."
They’re not the only ones.
