Onondaga County Legislator Cody Kelly (14th District) recently got a first-hand look at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s new Animal Health Center.
“I am forever awed by the diversity of life on our planet” he says.
Legislator Kelly was at the zoo for a meeting of the Legislature’s County Facilities Committee. Kelly and other attending members learned about recent improvements at the zoo and toured the 20,000-square-foot facility which officially opened in April.
The Animal Health Center can treat animals of all sizes and species, from before birth until their senior years. Large windows allow zoo-goers the chance to look directly into treatment rooms, a surgical suite and the nursery to observe animals being cared for.
People can also see how meals are prepared for animals and medical research being done.
“The Animal Health Center was a huge project that took almost 10 years to complete” says the Director of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Ted Fox. “The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) noted that our original clinic was not large enough for a facility and animal collection of our size during our 2013 accreditation inspection.”
Not long after, research and planning got underway for the new facility. By 2019, with blueprints in hand, zoo officials were ready to ask the Onondaga County Legislature to approve $8 million dollars in funding. Legislators gave the project a thumbs up.
“When designing the Animal Health Center, we knew that we wanted it to be a state-of-the-art facility so that we could continue the important work of exceptional animal care and the education of our guests and future generations of veterinarians and animal care professionals” Fox adds. “So happy to report that – we knocked it out of the park!!”
The Animal Health Center is now the largest zoological medical center in all of New York State outside of New York City. It also serves as a teaching hospital for Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, giving students the chance to gain valuable, real-world experience.
“The Animal Health Center will not only help to ensure our animals receive the highest quality care, but also provide research and educational opportunities to advance the field of Veterinary Medicine in the future” Legislator Kelly says.
Fox adds, “The new Animal Health Center at the zoo is a great testimony to the positive, collaborative relationship that the zoo and the Legislators have always had. The zoo has always been one of the great cultural destinations in our community and we couldn’t say that without the support from the Legislature.”
“It’s great to visit our county parks and facilities and seeing the projects that the Legislature has supported” says Committee Chair Debra Cody (5th District). “This month, we are very excited to visit the Zoo and see firsthand the unique and educational experience that the Animal Health Center offers.”
