Our state-of-the-art animal health facility is 10,500 square feet and was designed by world class veterinarian professionals and conservation organizations.
It is the first planned integration of an aquarium and veterinarian teaching hospital. We provide all of the same veterinary diagnostic, medical treatment and surgical services that you would find at the best veterinary teaching hospitals.
We have the largest and most modern aquarium veterinary hospital in the world - facilities that will change the face of aquatic animal medicine.
Our research will be shared with conservation organizations throughout the world, which will allow them to better understand and protect many of the species that we will study.
Our partnership with the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital allows us to provide complete aquatic animal pathology program while training Veterinary Residents, Interns, and veterinary students. We are the only aquarium to have this kind of program.
The Veterinary Services and Conservation Medicine (VS&CM) department is based on the first floor of the Georgia Aquarium and is centrally located for easy, behind-the-scenes access to all exhibits via an enormous corridor that wraps around the building in a large “U”. The corridor makes it easy for animals from the various exhibits to be transported to our surgical suite. Each major exhibit has it’s own dedicated hoist way with crane system to raise and lower animals.
Most of the large exhibits have space within them to facilitate medical procedures. All of our medical/surgical and diagnostic equipment can be moved pool side if necessary.
The facility is fully digital:
- Digital X-rays
- Digital ultrasound
- Digital endoscopy/laproscopy
- Digital ascultation
- Digital patient monitoring
We have full-service, seven-day medical coverage with 24-hour care if necessary.
The Correll Center is comprised of the following facilities:
Veterinary Diagnostic and Water Quality Laboratory
Capabilities: Ability to analyze/evaluate blood, urine, fecal, bacterial and water samples; analyze diets and nutritional supplements
Equipment: Automated CBC and blood chemistry machines, centrifuges, compound and stereomicroscopes, stat blood gas analyzers, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatograph (IC); water chemistry equipment to measure dissolved oxygen, pH, Hardness, salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and numerous other chemicals
Veterinary Pharmacy
Capabilities: Immediate access to all required animal medications in the large volumes we might require.
Equipment: refrigeration, secure medication storage units
Ultra-Low Freezer Room
Capabilities: Long-term storage of biological samples (serum, plasma, water)
Equipment: Ultra-low freezers (-70 degrees Fahrenheit)
Medical Records Room/Technician Offices
Capabilities: Long-term storage of paper records
Equipment: Filing cabinets, desks, computers, climate control
Treatment Room (Hospital)
Capabilities: Intensive care for sick fish, invertebrates, turtles, amphibians, birds and small mammals.
Equipment: Hospital aquaria/filtration, climate control
Avian Intensive Care Room (Hospital)
Capabilities: Intensive care for penguins
Equipment: Hospital aquaria/filtration, climate control
Small Mammal Intensive Care Room (Hospital)
Capabilities: Intensive care for sea otters, Asian small-clawed otters
Equipment: Hospital aquaria/filtration, climate control
Surgical Suite
Capabilities: All surgical procedures for animals living in the Aquarium
Equipment: Custom stainless-steel surgical table; instant digital X-ray receiver; mobile X-ray emitter; gas anesthesia machine for mammals/birds/reptiles; aquatic anesthesia machine for boney fishes and sharks; digital ultrasound machine; digital endoscopy tower; digital thermography unit; surgical microscope; radio surgical instrument; standard surgical instruments (scalpels, forceps, retractors, etc.), climate control
Surgical Prep Scrub Room
Capabilities: Preparation/sterilization of surgical instruments, scrub prep for surgeons and technicians
Equipment: Steam autoclave, ethylene oxide gas sterilizer and automated scrub sink.
Equipment Storage Room
Capabilities: Supply/equipment storage
Equipment: Storage racks, washer/dryer
Husbandry Commissary
Capabilities: Food preparation for all Georgia Aquarium animals
Equipment: Ultra-low walk-in freezer (-20 degrees Fahrenheit), walk-in cooler (34 degrees Fahrenheit), dry storage room, blenders, knives, cutting boards
Necropsy Room
Capabilities: Gross and microscopic pathological examination of mortalities
Equipment: Three custom necropsy tables, stereo and compound microscopes with digital cameras, dissection tools

Fun Facts
- Each year the Georgia Aquarium’s Husbandry Commissary handles 572,000 lbs. (260,000 kg) of fish and seafood, including:
  - 120,000 lbs. (54,545 kg) of superba krill
  - 93,600 lbs. (42,545 kg) of capelin
  - 43,000 lbs. (19,545 kg) of pellets and gel
- Each year at the Georgia Aquarium:
  - Beluga whales consume 26,000 lbs. (11,820 kg) of fish
  - Sea lions consume 21,000 lbs. (9,545 kg) of fish
  - Whale sharks consume 12,000 lbs. (5,455 kg) of fish and gel

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