Chiller’s Importance: A Memoriam Providing Flexibility in Rehabilitation

Over the past few weeks of this summer 2013, the stifling heat wave hitting the Northeast has left its mark. To say the NMLC animal hospital gets hot is an understatement, but thanks to the donation of a chiller this past year, our animals are able to stay cool.

The chiller, donated by Anne Cassim in memory of her parents Ernest and Anita LaBadie, has enabled rehabilitation of our seals and turtles during the summer months, increasing patient intake (and therefore, a greater network of animals receive treatment). Ernest and Anita LaBadie moved to the Cape in 1947, living in Centerville. Anita, who raised her family while working as a clerk for the Barnstable Registry of Deeds, loved gardening, while Ernest was a WWII veteran, purple heart recipient and stonemason. Both loved the outdoors, taking their children and grandchildren canoeing, quahogging, and camping, which sparked a love for nature in his family, including his granddaughter, NMLC’s Animal Care and Facilities Coordinator Kate Shaffer.

The unit (Glacier Pool Cooler GPC 25), plumbing supplies, and electrical costs were all apart of this important donation. The installation, occurring this past June, as well as design, were donated by Rick Galat of TAG Engineering. In total, the donation estimated about $5,000.

The summer months continue to provide rising temperatures. Although the chiller has allowed for year-round rehabilitation in the recently opened animal ward with two pools, able to house seals and turtles, the chiller is only able to cool one of these two pools. The past two weeks demonstrated the importance of the chiller, as one of the pools, housing our gray seal Lucky (released on June 21st) remained relatively cool with the help of the chiller. The other pool, home to two harbor seal pups, Mike and Ike, got too warm so we were forced us to transfer the pups to a smaller pod with a smaller, freshwater pool that can be changed several times a day.

Marine mammal rehabilitation is unpredictable. Remaining active during the summer months is crucial to providing the assistance these animals need. We need a second chiller unit for our other rehab pool to maintain temperature and continue to provide for more and more animals!

Click here to donate to help seals!