Florida farm family brings donkey in bedroom to ride out Hurricane Milton in the dark as more than 2 million lose power
A Florida family that runs a farm in the state has brought a baby donkey into their bedroom to protect the foal from hurricane winds as Milton passes through.
Rick Bass and Sara Weldon of Clermont, between Tampa and Orlando, had feared the hurricane would rip through their farm and had posted terrifying videos in the days leading up to Wednesday’s landfall.
Sarah posted some tearful TikTok videos on Our simple farm account with nearly 400,000 followers in which she shared her love for her animals while also appearing desperate about what to do.
“I alternate between staying calm and then crying for my animals,” Sara said. “We are in the direct path where this hurricane should hit. … We are not evacuating. And please don’t ask me.’
A Florida couple who run a ranch between Tampa and Orlando brought a young donkey into their bedroom to protect him from Hurricane Milton
Cash the foal 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 shed where the donkey normally resides would collapse after being blown to pieces by 120 mph winds.
Although the advice is usually to leave animals outside, the family was especially concerned about the hurricane that would make landfall in the middle of the night.
Throughout Wednesday evening, users demanded updates from the couple on the animals’ welfare.
The donkey, named Cash, could be seen resting his head on Rick’s knee.
The furry animal was later seen in the couple’s beautifully decorated bedroom, resting on the wooden floor next to some family dogs.
Cash the donkey found a comfortable spot on the bedroom floor. Sara can be seen on the bed
The couple’s dogs were also brought into the bedroom to weather the heavy storm
About twenty chickens were also brought in, but not in the bedroom
Rick described the fact that the donkey was a calming presence in the house as he anxiously watched terrifying video footage of the brutal winds as the hurricane made landfall on the coast.
The animals were completely unaware of the life-threatening storm raging outside.
The couple also posted videos of some small chickens that likely wouldn’t have survived the devastating winds had they been left outside.
Sara says she has been touched by the outpouring of support and has continued to thank her followers for praying for the family and their farm.
“We have been filled with so much love from all over the world – offers from farms to take the animals to, and more importantly, we have an entire 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 soothing
‘I alternate between staying calm and crying for my animals. When I say goodnight to them tonight, I have no idea if I’ll see them again; that is an unbearable and heavy thought,” Sarah said.
The couple cares for more than a hundred animals, including ten 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 take a miracle, so we’re staying 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 food for the animals, made sure the fences were tight and gave them all the love and prayers we could.”