Green sea turtles find accommodation at Dalhousie University
Four adult green sea turtles named Merv, Ambrose, Chewy and Spot have found a new temporary home in Dalhousie University's Aquatron.
Key Points:
The turtles, whose species is considered endangered, will eventually make their way to the Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, now under construction in downtown Toronto next to the CN Tower. Expected to be completed in the summer of 2013, the aquarium will be their new "forever home" as Aquatron manager John Batt refers to it.
Pull Quotes:
"We needed to find a place that is in Canada that could house these and Dalhousie was certainly our first choice. Because the Aquatron and the facility is so versatile, they can do cold water or warm water, it was just a logical choice for us. So I spoke with John Batt, your Aquatron Manager and he and I worked out an arrangement where his staff were trained by our staff and they can take care of turtles. And they are also holding other things for us, some lobster and some cod and a few other animals from the North Atlantic for our aquarium as well." - Joe Choromanski, Vice President, Husbandry at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
"I think that public aquariums really rely on partnerships and relationships. We wouldn't be able to build the aquarium in Toronto without the help of people who work at Dalhousie University and the Aquatron facility as well as our colleague aquariums that help us in animal acquisitions and certainly the fishery managers that allow us to go out and get some of these animals from the ocean to put on display, to act as ambassadors of their species." - Joe Choromanski, Vice President, Husbandry at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
"I think it is worth highlighting that it is a long distance from Vancouver to Halifax and that the facilities we have here are second to none. Their forever home will be Toronto but they had to come east first because there not many places equipped to do what the Dalhousie Aquatron can do. From facilities and staff and expertise, veterinary support, all that is here. There are a lot of universities between Vancouver and Halifax that can’t do what we can do. The ocean expertise and facilities are second to none in the country." - John Batt, Aquatron Manager
Images:
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| Green sea turtles The sea turtles, aware there are visitors. Download Hi-Res |
Videos:
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| Green sea turtles The Dalhousie Aquatron's newest guests, settling into their living quarters. Download high resolution version (broadcast ready). |
Resource Links:
Contacts:
- Charles Crosby, APR, Senior Advisor, Media, 494-1269, charles.crosby@dal.ca
