Dr. Alissa Deming was a bit worried, she said, as the Pacific Marine Mammal Center prepared for the start of construction on a $14 million expansion and water reclamation project that will make the rescue center more environmentally friendly and further transform it into a research-driven tool to study ocean health and environmental impacts on marine life.
She was worried construction noise would reverberate through the water where about 20 sea lions were recovering in treatment pools – loud noise can be extremely stressful.
But Deming credits the contractor with taking extra measures to shield the animals. “A gold star to those guys, they modified their technology and used no jackhammers to ensure the patients weren’t impacted.”
And some of the center’s recovering patients and its life-support systems have been moved to allow an access way behind PMMC’s iconic red barn, further allaying Deming’s concerns about the impact of the important construction project.
“Sea lions have individual personalities like people,” said Deming, PMMC’s lead veterinarian and vice president of conservation medicine and science. “Some are skittish and others are brave. I was a little nervous at first, but there was no need to fret, these animals didn’t even realize anything was going on behind the barn.”
The sea lions continued to eat and play as normal in their temporary spot, which was great for visitors this week because the pools are located where the public can watch at a distance.
The rescue center hosted a groundbreaking with local leaders this week to celebrate the work beginning on the facility that’s been in Laguna Canyon ever since opening in 1971.
The expansion will double the rescue’s main facility, expanding space for its hospital and educational facilities. It also adds a dedicated necropsy area and a laboratory, which will expand its research capabilities, and adds three more pools. The expansion will help PMMC’s growing focus on…
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