At The Marine Mammal Center, appropriate husbandry is the
core of our care and management of animals. Husbandry protocols
including nutrition, handling techniques, hygiene, sanitation,
housing, disease prevention, and stress reduction are based
on a combination of species- and age-specific requirements.
As we learn more about these amazing animals, our husbandry
protocols are constantly refined to ensure the highest level
of care for the animals in our hospital.
Proper nutrition
forms the basis of an animal's successful rehabilitation while
at The Center. The type, amount, and frequency of food each
animal receives varies depending on species, age, body condition,
and specific medical problem.
Cleaning is
extremely important in a marine mammal hospital. When animals
are admitted to The Center, their health is already compromised.
We implement strict sanitary procedures to minimize the spread
of disease, prevent infection for wounded animals, and keep
bacteria levels down.
Volunteer management
is another important facet. In an organization with over 800
volunteers, where volunteers are responsible for most of the
day-to-day care of the animals, ensuring an effective volunteer
management structure is key.
Maintaining the wildness
and reducing the stress of the animals we treat is an
integral and essential part of our mission. The animals The
Center cares for are wild animals not accustomed to human
interaction, so all of our husbandry procedures seek to limit
human interaction and reduce stress, ensuring that the animals
remain as wild as possible.
Monitoring of animals
starts when an animal is rescued and continues until it is
released. Monitoring alerts us to any problems an animal may
be experiencing and allows us to closely observe the animal's
progress.
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