Local residents wanted these chickens to be safe. Key West Finest/Facebook

The INSIDER Summary:

"Gypsy chickens" roam the streets of Key West, Florida.

Local residents evacuated the chickens ahead of the massive Hurricane Irma.

A photo of the chickens wrapped in newspaper in the backseat of a car is going viral.



The "gypsy chickens" of Key West, Florida, roam the streets freely.

A mix of escaped backyard chickens and roosters released when cockfighting became illegal, they're technically considered an invasive species. But with Hurricane Irma threatening the area, locals decided to make sure their feathered neighbors would be safe.

The Facebook page Key West Finest posted a photo of the chickens wrapped in newspaper in the backseat of a car, captioned "CHICKEN EVACUATION." It has since been shared over 15,000 times.

The chickens may look constricted, but rest assured — they don't mind.

"The way the chickens are wrapped up with their wings tucked down, is how you carry a chicken you flatten their wings to their sides and carry them like a football under your arm, so really over all the chickens should be moderately comfortable and should not get hot," commented Lacey Bacon-Stonebraker, who herself owns 50 chickens and three roosters.

Here's to hoping that both animals and humans stay safe in the impending storm.