Will Peratino and his partner Lauren Stepp would not leave their Pine Island, Florida, compound, even as authorities pleaded with residents to abandon their homes because of damaged roads, including a collapsed bridge that prevented deliveries of food, gas and other life-sustaining supplies. No, 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 Tuesday to catch, cage and ferry the birds off the island.
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