FIU to Build New Sickbed for Ailing Whales and Dolphins

Miami (July 27, 2001) Florida International University has secured $150,000 to build a state-of-the-art rehabilitation pool that will give beached marine mammals a second chance at life and boost scientific research in South Florida.

The new pool will complement two existing smaller ones on the Biscayne Bay Campus and is expected to be installed in two to three years.

"I see this as a very important step to building a significant marine mammal program that really serves the South Florida regional area and also will move our Marine Biology Program into new significant work with animals," said Dr. Christopher Brown, director of FIU's Marine Biology Program.

The new facility will be built with funds donated by the Ocean Fund of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which awarded FIU a three-year $75,000 grant to upgrade existing facilities. The State of Florida will match the contribution with an additional $75,000.

The Marine Biology Program works closely with the Marine Animal Rescue Society (MARS), a non-profit organization affiliated with FIU that runs the MARS Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center on the university's Biscayne Bay Campus. Professional staff provide medical care to whales and dolphins suffering from injuries inflicted by passing boats, disorientation due to parasite infestation, and other problems associated with altered environmental conditions.

"Having better facilities means that we are better equipped to take in the animals in the first place and better equipped to keep the animals [for treatment] in the second," said Tom Bacon, director of facilities for MARS.

The new pool will be more spacious (30-foot diameter, six-foot deep) and more durable (fiberglass installed on a cement slab) than the center's existing two vinyl-lined pools-one of which was replaced after being destroyed in February by a 1,500-pound pygmy sperm whale-and will allow the intake of larger animals that currently must risk a six-hour journey to a bigger facility. MARS's jurisdiction covers the coastline from Jupiter to the Keys. The site at FIU serves as its main area of operation with a secondary facility in Marathon.

The new pool will be outfitted with an observation deck that can double as an examination table during out-of-water physical and ultrasound exams and x-ray procedures. Other planned improvements include an upgrading of the medical laboratory, the installation of a two-ton standing crane to haul animals into and out of the pool, and the equipping of a new food-preparation kitchen.

"The better facilities] will allow us to do a lot of our own research and to learn a lot about these animals," said Craig Pelton, MARS executive director.

FIU faculty and graduate students in the Marine Biology Program and other researchers use information gathered at the center to improve scientific understanding of how humans, marine mammals and other creatures can best share the marine environment.

MARS operates under a permit issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which makes all initial decisions regarding the animals' care and treatment, and relies on trained volunteers to assist professionals in rescuing as many as 50 stranded animals each year. Its personnel conduct educational presentations and workshops within the community to teach the public about the rehabilitation program and the importance of conservation.

Media Contact: Alexandra Pecharich, 305-348-1923