BILLINGS— ZooMontana is planning to start construction on a new $3.9 million on-site veterinary clinic in the fall.
The clinic, called The Animal Health Center, is part of the zoo’s “Wild and Well: A New Era of Animal Care” capital campaign, which aims to raise $3.9 million for the clinic. The campaign has raised $2.9 million as of Tuesday, all from donors.
“A vet health center is going to create space for us to really give our animals the best, best care,” said ZooMontana CEO Jessica Hart.
Hart said the clinic will also allow the zoo more opportunities to welcome additional animals.
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“When we think about adding to our animal family, that clinic will help us make that decision to say, ‘Yes, we can actually provide the best care for that animal here, so why don't we bring in something new and exciting?’” Hart said.
Construction on the clinic is slated to start in the fall. The goal is to open the clinic next spring during the zoo’s busy season, according to Hart.
“We're hoping early spring, but by that middle, that heat of the summer, that building should be up,” she said.
The project does not have an official timeline.
“We don't anticipate the construction will take, you know, a full year or anything like that. But if there's a halt due to, you know, the inability to do anything during the colder months, it's just hard to gauge with a project like this,” said ZooMontana Development Director Pete Bolenbaugh.
The clinic will help veterinarians treat the animals without having to bring them away from the zoo or introduce them to unfamiliar faces.
ZooMontana Assistant Curator Allyson Welborn said those conditions create a stressful situation for animals and staff.
“Sometimes we have emergencies. We need somebody to come in the middle of the night, but that could also mean that we may need to drive our animals to the clinic if we can't address an issue here,” said Welborn.
“It's a lot less stressful, I think, on everybody, you know, hauling a bear maybe a couple hundred yards down the zoo versus across the interstate,” she added.
To donate to the capital campaign, click here.
