Hail Kills 7 Birds At The Fort Worth Zoo

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Seven birds including flamingos, pelicans, and ducks were killed from heavy hail fall at the Fort Worth Zoo on Thursday.

The hail storms that moved through the area dropped stones that ranged from pea-sized to golf ball-sized.

"It's been a hard morning at the Fort Worth Zoo," said Director of Communication at the Fort Worth Zoo, Alexis Wilson.

Wilson said injuries to the surviving animals are not considered serious. "We did have a few birds injured, they are over in our hospital. We do have an animal hospital on premises. Some of them were just a little stunned, probably had gotten hit by hailstones."

The clean-up and repairs to damage left by the hail fall delayed the zoo's opening by about 2 hours.

While crews worked to get the grounds ready for visitors, crowds lined up by the hundreds outside as they waited to go in.

Wilson said the hail storm came during their peak days of spring break.

She added, "Over spring break we see huge crowds. So we've been seeing 12,000-14,000 people… and yesterday more than 20,000 people."

By mid-day the zoo had returned to normal operations.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)