Carole Baskin Says Hurricane Prep Paid Off, Big Cats Weathered the Storm

Carole Baskin's thrilled to announce all of her big cats are in good shape after Hurricane Ian -- and she credits that to staying 2 steps ahead of the storm, something the lions and tigers can feel coming ... in the air, as they say.

Carole joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to give us a tour of her Big Cat Rescue outside Tampa. The 'Tiger King' star says she prepares for hurricanes and tornados year-round, so they are ready to shelter in place when this kinda weather hits.

Carole told us her 45 big cats have plenty of places on the grounds to keep safe ... even if they experience 6+ feet of storm surge flooding!!!

While Ian wreaked havoc across much of Florida, it didn't get that bad at her sanctuary last night. She says in the past, the tigers sometimes seem to sense there's a weather emergency coming ... and take steps to keep themselves safe.

Carole says they have lots of protocols and measures in place for the animals when the wind gets over a certain speed.

As we reported ... Carole's 21 bobcats, 8 tigers, 6 servals, jaguar, leopard (and others) rode out the hurricane, while some of her other animals -- like chickens -- have been temporarily moved to a different sanctuary.