There's
something fishy going on...
Look who's coming to dinner! There has been a silent influx
of new residents to Dubuque in the past few months. But these
are not your average newcomers. These are the future inhabitants
of the River Discovery Center's aquarium exhibits.
Lee
Jackson, Aquarium Curator for the River Discovery Center brings
20 years of experience to Dubuque from such venerable institutions
as the Shedd Aquarium and most recently, the Brookfield Zoo.
Lee gave 365 a tour of the existing temporary aquarium facilities
and the creature who live there.
Over
361 animals are currently quarantined in Dubuque in preparation
for the opening of the Discovery center. They must remain in
quarantine while Lee and his staff can ensure that no diseases
or other problems have accompanied the animals from their previous
homes, thus placing all of the animals in potential danger.
These 361 marine animals account for less than half of the
expected final amount of native Mississippi river dwelling
creatures that will inhabit the finished museum. Most of the
animals coning to the center were donated by other aquariums
and zoo's in he United States like the Shedd Aquarium and the
Tennessee Aquarium. Some arrived Fed-Ex believe it or not.
Many of the rarest animals, including all of the bird species
are yet to arrive.
One
very exciting recent addition is the amazing alligator pictured
in the first photographs below. Lee transported the creature
himself from Arizona in one very long nonstop journey. We finished
our tour in the very warm reptile room where beautiful and
creepy, slithery little guys like the very poisonous Water
Moccasin greeted us. Other animals currently in quarantine,
many of which are pictured here include Turtles of all varieties,
giant catfish, gar, infant alligators, sturgeon, and dozens
of varieties of native Mississippi River fish species. You
may be wondering where all of this is happening? For the safety
of the animals, we are not publishing the locations of the
temporary aquariums. But you can take a visual journey with
us now and discover some of the many unique animals that will
soon await you at the Mississippi River Discovery Center when
it opens later this year.
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