With a mission to house sick,  injured and orphaned marine mammals,  the Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responders are building a life-saving facility.

After two years of planning and permitting,  construction has begun on the Whale and Dolphin ICU in Islamorada,  which will be the Florida Keys only marine mammal hospital.

Work started on the 56,000 gallon above ground saltwater intensive care unit,  along with installing a security fence.

The first step of the project is to prepare a solid concrete foundation for the 40 ft diameter tank.   Once filled,  the tank will weigh over 200 tons.

When the foundation is complete,  work will start on the rehabilitation tank, which is already on site and will be large enough to provide long-term rehabilitation to any species of whale or dolphin.

The final part of the construction will be a robust life support system,  a filtration system designed to keep the water in the tank sanitary and in optimum condition to support recovery of sick animals.

Beyond the ICU pool,  veterinary labs and other support areas will be developed to ensure world-class care for the hospital’s patients.

The project center will also double as a teaching hospital,  educating veterinary students about marine mammal medicine and teaching every visitor how to do their part to help protect whales and dolphins.

Nancy Cooper,  president of Marine Mammal Responders,  the non-profit organization which operates the Protect Center says “we have been overcoming challenge after challenge since 2017, while working on this facility and we’re close to finally having this facility built. We will keep persevering as long as we need”.

The Project Center is open daily to visitors 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., where the center features a gift shop and museum, which support the development of the hospital facilities.

Those wishing to contribute may contact the facility at 305-453-4321, in person or at www.connecttoprotect.org/hospital 

Time is of the essence we never know when the next stranding will occur.