Rescuers flock to save 275 parrots stranded by Hurricane Ian

Birds rescued from Pine Island sanctuary after owners refused to leave them

Volunteers helped rescue hundreds of birds from the Malama Manu Sanctuary after Hurricane Ian cut off Pine Island from the mainland. AP

Hundreds of birds had to be evacuated by boat after Hurricane Ian destroyed the island's infrastructure. AP

Alexis Highland handles a parrot that is being evacuated from the Malama Manu Sanctuary in Pine Island, Florida. AP

Alexis Highland handles a parrot that is being evacuated from the Malama Manu Sanctuary in Pine Island. AP

Bryan Stern, founder of Project Dynamo, carries a bird being rescued from a sanctuary in Pine Island. AP

Will Peratino, owner of the Malama Manu Sanctuary, and Ms Highland prepare a bird for transport off the island. AP

Crates of exotic and rare birds are transported by boat to the mainland off the coast of Pine Island. AP

Mike Bailey and his wife Audrey with their cockatoo, Bailey, as they wait to be evacuated from Pine Island in Florida. Reuters

Kate Frank and her cat make their way to a boat to be moved from the island on Tuesday. Getty / AFP

Dogs are strapped on to the external cargo platform of a helicopter as owner Tom Koch is moved to safety by members of Mediccorps.org. AP

The road to Pine Island was made impassable after Hurricane Ian passed through the area and washed out sections of the road. Getty / AFP

Residents are being encouraged to leave because the only road on to the island was made impassable, and electricity and water were cut by Hurricane Ian. AFP

A Chinook helicopter carries an industrial generator to Pine Island. Getty / AFP

A car on a destroyed road between Matlacha and Pine Island after Hurricane Ian. Reuters

Soldiers arrive at the Matlacha-Pine Island fire control district with much-needed supplies. Reuters

Many island residents were waiting to be moved to safety with their pets. Getty / AFP

Andy Sherwood talks with a US Coast Guard officer as he is being evacuated from the island with his dog. Reuters

Pine Island residents and their dogs. Getty / AFP

Charlie Russell and Brian Lewis and pup ride in the back of a lorry to a boat off Pine Island. Getty / AFP

Xavier Pinero and his cat are taken off the island in Florida. Getty / AFP

Tom O'Sullivan his dog Jack, and Harry Marquard prepare to be flown off the island in a Florida Army National Guard helicopter. Getty / AFP

Mr O'Sullivan and Jack settle in for the ride to shelter. Getty / AFP

Lisa, Ray and Lucia West and their dog wait to be taken off the island. Getty / AFP

Residents and their pets are being encouraged to leave because the only road on to the island is impassable. Getty / AFP

The only bridge to the island is heavily damaged. AP

The destroyed bridge leading to Pine Island after Hurricane Ian. AP

Responders from the de Moya Group look at damage to the bridge. AP

Ms Bailey waits to be moved off the island with her cockatoo. AP

Research company Enki Holdings estimates the economic cost of Hurricane Ian at between $60bn and $70bn in damage to homes and infrastructure, the cost of rebuilding and longer-term effects including disruption to tourism. Bloomberg

Helen Koch, a dog breeder, is evacuated with some of her 17 pets on a helicopter. AP

Doctor Karen Calkins tends to Mona Guibord, 94, as she waits to be taken from the island. AP

Will Peratino and his partner Lauren Stepp would not leave their Pine Island compound, despite authorities pleaded with residents to abandon their homes because of damaged roads.

They included a collapsed bridge that was preventing deliveries of food, gas and other life-sustaining supplies.

But the couple could not leave without their two lemurs and flock of birds — 275 parrots, including some of the world's rarest.

So a rescue mission — dubbed “Operation Noah's Ark” — was launched on Tuesday to catch, cage and ferry the birds off the island, as a condition for Mr Peratino and Ms Stepp leaving the island.

“We would not abandon them. I would never leave them. Never,” said Ms Stepp, as volunteers collected the flock from dozens of coops at the Malama Manu Sanctuary.

“If they cannot be fed or watered, they will die. And I can’t live with that."

“Malama” is the Hawaiian word for protect; “manu” means bird.

The birds have been relying on food donated by wildlife officials since Hurricane Ian hit.

But the supply of fruit, peanuts and other edibles would soon be hard to come by with the bridge being down and the scarcity of petrol on the island.

Hurricane Ian battered south-west Florida a week ago with 250kph gusts, making some roads impassable and islands inaccessible. Heavy rain and wind-driven ocean surges brought dangerous flooding.

In the hours before the storm, the sanctuary owners herded their flock of birds and packed them into their home to shield them from the ferocity of the elements.

"You don't know what we've been through here. We had four feet of water in the house, damned near drowned," Mr Peratino said, before succumbing to tears.

Many of the birds were rescued from homes that could no longer care for them. Some are used for breeding rare species.

“To have every bird safe is a huge undertaking,” Mr Peratino said. “I mean, it's almost impossible to do. So the kind of help we've gotten has been invaluable.”

Ghassan Abboud, who owns a bird farm in West Palm Beach, is an acquaintance of the sanctuary owners. When he heard of their plight, he mustered his resources to help.

Mr Abboud had imagined commissioning a small boat to ferry cages from Pine Island to a dock on the mainland, where an air-conditioned trailer would take them to his property across the Florida peninsula.

But by chance he came across the Project Dynamo team, who have been volunteering to help rescue people stranded by floods and damaged roads. Project Dynamo assembled four boats and launched their mission.

“I could never write a script like this. It was perfect," Mr Abboud said. "I thought I'd be back all day long in a small boat.

"What these guys have done has been unimaginable. They dedicated their resources. They saved so many birds."

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