- Construction is underway for a new rescue building at Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) in Port Aransas
- Funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Staff and volunteers relieved that it's finally being built
- Will be complete by the end of August 2024
A brand new Rescue Center is under construction at The Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas. This building will be an additional facility that will house and rehabilitate injured sea turtles and marine birds that are local to Port Aransas.
“The activities for rehabilitation for this particular location were in an old laboratory that has served its life well and so it was time for that building to be demolished especially after the damage it saw after Hurricane Harvey," UTMSI Communications Coordinator Sally Palmer said.
The funding for the new rescue center comes from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Disaster Award as a relief grant to renovate and rebuild the destroyed assets from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
"It will be used to house and rehabilitate injured sea turtles and marine birds that are found on our local Mustang Island and San Jose Island," Palmer said.
ARK staff and volunteers said that this new building has been a long time coming.
“Besides being so excited that it's coming finally, we have waited patiently for it. It’s going to be such a great addition to the ARK. We’ll have state of the art facility and procedures," ARK volunteer Kathy Cima said.
The current rehabilitation facility is slightly overcrowded with animals.
“We're a little bit squeezed," Palmer said. "We have animals in our turtle building next door and our old wildlife center but those animals will be able to move and get spread out and we’ll have cages and tanks in the new rescue center that will really help provide a better service and area and environment for rehabilitation.”
The new rescue center will have new installations for air filtration, so the new space will reduce odor from animals. It will also have a new procedure room, which the old building does not have. The veterinarian will be able to perform more procedures for the animals.
“It’s really hard to take care of animals when you're working in an old building that really needs to be updated. We need the best of the best in order to rescue and rehabilitate animals," Cima said.
The rescue center is set to be complete by the end of August 2024.
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