Students can now be among the first to explore the new Animal Care and Rescue Center at Baltimore’s National Aquarium, where marine science and STEM opportunities come to life through classroom activities and guided exploration.
The new 56,339-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility—located in historic Jonestown, just a short distance from the National Aquarium’s main campus—provides a permanent world-class home for the care of the National Aquarium’s current and future animals and some of its rescue operations. The advanced facility creates every ecosystem of the ocean in the middle of Baltimore City, creating 15,000 gallons of saltwater and freshwater each month.
“Students will learn how our aquarium staff ensure quality animal care by performing diagnostic tests and monitoring water quality,” said, Joe Harber, the Director of Education for the National Aquarium. “Using microscopes to observe blood samples and water quality parameters, students will be able to deduce the causes of illness in various animal groups and devise a treatment plan based on evidence collected during the lesson.”
Students will learn about the passion and dedication the Animal Care and Rescue Center staff gives to the animals there to ensure they receive the best care possible, as well as discover how the National Aquarium’s Animal Rescue cares for sick and injured marine animals before returning them to their ocean home. The program also includes a tour of the facility where students can visit the exhibit fabrication shop, the veterinary exam room, water quality lab, view the quarantine room from above and more. They’ll also get the chance to tour the animal holding room to get an up close look at animals not currently on exhibit.
Home to up to 1,500 animals at any given time, the ample pools provide a place for care and acclimation for species from beta fish to sharks—and more than doubles the capacity for off-exhibit and rescue animal care. The space also features the exhibit fabrication workshop where corals and other elements are intricately handcrafted to recreate the world’s aquatic habitats.
A first-of-its-kind in the industry, viewing windows line the Center’s primary hallways, allowing a unique opportunity students to view animal care and welfare work previously unseen by the public.
Learn more at National Aquarium.
Courtesy of Visit Baltimore.
Photo courtesy of Theresa Keil.
