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A Florida family who runs a farm in the state brought a baby donkey into their room to protect the foal from hurricane-force winds during Milton.
Rick Bass and Sara Weldon, of Clermont, between Tampa and Orlando, feared the moment the hurricane would hit their farm and posted anxious videos in the days leading up to the hurricane's arrival on Wednesday.
Sarah posted a series of tearful TikTok videos to the Nossa Herdade Simples account which has nearly 400,000 followers, in which she shared her love for her animals while appearing desperate not knowing what to do.
“I alternate between feeling calm and then crying for my animals,” Sara said. “We are in the direct path of where this hurricane was supposed to hit. … We are not evacuating. And please don't ask me to.
A Florida couple who run a farm between Tampa and Orlando brought a young donkey into their room to protect it from Hurricane Milton
Cash the colt was described as a 'calming presence' as he was welcomed into the family home
“All these animals are our children,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
She and her husband were particularly concerned that the barn where the donkey normally resides would collapse after being torn apart by 120mph winds.
While the advice is generally to leave animals outdoors, the family was particularly worried about the hurricane making landfall in the middle of the night.
Throughout Wednesday night, users asked the couple for updates regarding the animals' well-being.
The donkey, named Cash, could be seen resting his head on Rick's knee.
Later, the furry animal could be seen in the couple's well-decorated bedroom, resting on the wooden floor alongside several of the family's dogs.
Cash the donkey found a comfortable spot on the bedroom floor. Sara can be seen in bed
The couple's dogs were also taken to the bedroom to weather the fierce storm.
Around 20 chickens were also brought into the family home – although not in the bedroom
Rick described having the donkey inside the house as having a calming presence as he anxiously watched terrifying video footage of the violent winds as the hurricane made landfall.
The animals were completely oblivious to the threatening storm raging outside.
The couple also posted a video of some tiny chickens that would have been unlikely to survive the devastating winds if they had been left outside.
Sara says she was touched by the outpouring of support and continued to thank her followers for praying for the family and their farm.
'We are filled with so much love from all over the world – offers from farms to bring the animals and, most importantly, we have a whole world praying for the protection of our farm.
The desperation on Sara Weldon's face was clear as she struggled with her decision
Rick Bass described Cash's presence in the house as particularly calming
'I alternate between feeling calm and then crying for my animals. When I say goodnight to them tonight, I have no idea if I will see them again; that is a painful and heavy thought,” Sarah said.
The couple care for more than 100 animals, including 10 donkeys, nine Highland cows, four goats and more than a hundred chickens.
“We've been through other hurricanes, but never in the direct path like this one,” Sara said.
“Evacuating all our animals would be a miracle, so we stayed with them. They are our children and we want to stay. We are in a voluntary evacuation zone for now and are not near any bodies of water,” she continued.
'For us, we stocked up on gas and propane, filled bathtubs, and got plenty of food and water. We stocked up on feed for the animals, made sure the fences were tight and gave them all the love and prayers we could.'
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