 The
Renovation Project :: The
Hospital :: The
Science Center :: Project
Location
 MARINE
ANIMAL HOSPITAL
How will it function? :: What
will it look like?
How will it function?
There will be many pools of different sizes, designed specifically
for marine animal care, to accommodate the growing number and different
kinds of animals that strand. A veterinarian, animal care givers,
and volunteers will tend to the animals until they are healthy enough
to be released into the wild.
Animals will be brought to the NMLC by members of the stranding
networks that work to rescue stranded animals. Most animals will
be brought to the NMLC by truck. On arrival, animals will be placed
in a critical care pool for initial evaluation. Usually, a small
percent of the animals have problems serious enough to require critical
care for a length of time. In some cases, they will need surgical
procedures.
Most animals will soon be relocated to small, controlled environments
where they can be handled  for
the purposes of feeding and medicating. Based on their medical condition,
animals will be kept either in a small group with others of the
same species, or alone where they receive round-the-clock attention
by professionals and volunteer staff.
In the final stage of rehabilitation, the transition period, animals
will prepare for release by regaining their skills for survival
in the wild.
When animals are ready for release, they will be transported to
the release site by public or private ships, tagged with a radio
telemetry package, returned to the wild, and electronically monitored
for a period of time. Through a satellite link, information on the
animals' surface behavior, movements, and diving patterns will be
transmitted to the NMLC where the information will be displayed
for visitor viewing, either on site or through a Web page.
The new marine animal hospital will have eight pools of varying
capacities to provide care for the full range of marine animals
that strand in this region. The construction documents and architects
drawings are complete and the building schematic and outline below
shows how the hospital will function.
Interior Schematic
Drawing by Architects: Chermayeff, Sollogub and Poole, Inc.
In the hospital, several spaces will be visible to the public in
a viewing gallery that is sound-proofed and with special lighting
to protect the animals in care. Changeable exhibits on the walls
of the gallery will provide daily medical reports of the animals
in care and show how the hospital functions. The viewing gallery
will offer views into:
- The largest pool (101,600 gallons) is 60 feet by 25 feet and
11 feet at its deepest point. It is designed for a half dozen
dolphins or several small whales. The water depth can be reduced
to 5 feet with haul-out spaces at either end for seal rehabilitation
in the event that no dolphins or whales require care.
- Two square pools (each 3,060 gallons) are 8 feet on each side
and 6 feet deep, for seals or sea turtles. Each pool has "haul
out" space for seals.
- One pool is 16 feet by 8 feet and 6 feet deep (6,500 gallons)
with "haul out" space for larger seals or a porpoise.
- A nursery that includes a pool (3,060 gallons), 64 square feet
and 6 feet deep, with "haul out" space plus another
40 square feet of dry area for working with the animals. This
nursery is designed to accommodate cold-stunned turtles or up
to two dozen seal pups.
- A laboratory for blood and tissue analysis, water quality testing,
and other work
- Food preparation area.
- Other hospital areas, removed from the viewing gallery, include:
· A cetacean assessment and critical care pool (17,200
gallons) that is 15 feet on each side and 10 feet deep with a
floor that can be raised to change the effective dept of the pool
for medical procedures.
· Two critical care seal or sea turtle pools each (3,060
gallons) 8 feet by 8 feet with "haul out" and working
spaces.
· Freezer and cooler for food storage
· Necropsy and research spaces
· A room to house the equipment that cleans and circulates
the salt water in the animal care pools.
· Staff and volunteer locker rooms and offices.
The renovation plans include creating several public spaces, in
addition to the viewing gallery with its controlled visual access
into the hospital's laboratory and the food preparation area.
Areas for public education - the visitor experience - will include:
- The marine animal discovery center with exhibits, interactive
displays, and hands-on
demonstration areas.
- A multi-purpose room for educational programming, changing
exhibits, and meetings. This room will also be available for
community use.
- A bookstore and gift shop with educational items.
The life support systems will operate using water drawn from the
Cape Cod Canal under an agreement with the U S Army Corps of Engineers.
What will it look like?
The NMLC will renovate a previously deserted building that was donated
by the Mobil Oil Corporation. One portion of the building had been
an old warehouse; the other section was once a truck garage. The
large open spaces are ideal for constructing salt-water pools for
marine animal care.
 The
building is located on Main Street in the Village of Buzzards Bay,
Town of Bourne, MA and the NMLC land reaches to the Cape Cod Canal.
The Town is engaged in downtown revitalization of the area and town
leaders are looking to the NMLC as the cornerstone.
Market studies predict that the marine animals discovery center
will become a draw for tourists and residents. Simply changing the
look of the building from the "Before" to the "After"
will make a huge difference.
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