LA Zoo Raises the Bar
For the veterinarians at the Los Angeles Zoo, caring for sick and injured exotic wildlife has been made less complicated after opening of one of the best animal health centers in the country.
LA Zoo's Animal Health and Conservation Center is a spacious facility equipped with some of the most modern and superior medical apparatus today. Chief veterinarian Bob Cooper remarks, "The facility allows us to deliver the highest quality of service for our practice at the Los Angeles Zoo. This is one of the best health centers I've seen. It has all the components necessary for successful veterinary medicine."
The 33,589 square foot Animal Health and Conservation Center replaced the Zoo's previous facility which was built in 1966. The new center houses multiple animal wards, a laboratory, necropsy room, administration offices, a commissary and a 6,000 square foot hospital dedicated to diagnosis, radiology, treatment and surgical procedures.
The center's most distinguishing features include one of only eight federally accredited quarantine areas, and the Dr. Charles Sedgwick Surgical Suite, named after the retired Los Angeles Zoo veterinarian who was instrumental in the design of the new health center.
A medical facility by default requires a high level of sanitation and a veterinary hospital is no exception. Various areas of the facility naturally required surfaces made of non-porous materials that were both impermeable to bacteria and resistant to harsh disinfectants and cleaning procedures.
But sanitation is not the only concern when it comes to a Zoo based animal health facility. Animals like rhinos and gorillas can exert an enormous amount of strength when distraught and feeling ill. Various walls, doors, windows and frames within and on the perimeter of the facility had to be designed to withstand heavy, repeat impacts from an aggressive animal. Additionally, doors leading to various areas required openings for movement of equipment and food.
LA Zoo's Animal Health and Conservation Center is a spacious facility equipped with some of the most modern and superior medical apparatus today. Chief veterinarian Bob Cooper remarks, "The facility allows us to deliver the highest quality of service for our practice at the Los Angeles Zoo. This is one of the best health centers I've seen. It has all the components necessary for successful veterinary medicine."
The 33,589 square foot Animal Health and Conservation Center replaced the Zoo's previous facility which was built in 1966. The new center houses multiple animal wards, a laboratory, necropsy room, administration offices, a commissary and a 6,000 square foot hospital dedicated to diagnosis, radiology, treatment and surgical procedures.
The center's most distinguishing features include one of only eight federally accredited quarantine areas, and the Dr. Charles Sedgwick Surgical Suite, named after the retired Los Angeles Zoo veterinarian who was instrumental in the design of the new health center.
A medical facility by default requires a high level of sanitation and a veterinary hospital is no exception. Various areas of the facility naturally required surfaces made of non-porous materials that were both impermeable to bacteria and resistant to harsh disinfectants and cleaning procedures.
But sanitation is not the only concern when it comes to a Zoo based animal health facility. Animals like rhinos and gorillas can exert an enormous amount of strength when distraught and feeling ill. Various walls, doors, windows and frames within and on the perimeter of the facility had to be designed to withstand heavy, repeat impacts from an aggressive animal. Additionally, doors leading to various areas required openings for movement of equipment and food.
