Louisville Zoo director recalls surviving Hurricane Katrina at New Orleans zoo

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina caused unprecedented destruction in New Orleans, La. While many evacuated before the storm made landfall in 2005, Dan Maloney stayed behind.

Maloney, who is now the Louisville Zoo’s director, was working at the Audubon Zoo when the storm made landfall. He led a team of 14 people who stayed behind to evacuate animals and prepare for what was to come.

“We always knew that we weren’t going to be the top priority in the aftermath of a catastrophic storm,” he said.

At the same time, Maloney’s wife, Laura, was leading the Louisiana ASPCA. She evacuated their shelter animals from New Orleans to Houston two days before the storm hit.

Maloney said without their hard work, the animals would have died.

Living at the zoo after Katrina