Marine Animal Medical Mystery

The last week at the National Marine Life Center has been full of excitement. With summer in full swing and lots of families heading to the Cape for a getaway, various educational programs at NMLC have been extremely busy.

Between school field trips, Fins and Flippers, Marine Animal Mystery, and a week-long junior tech program, kids of all ages have been coming through the doors of NMLC to learn about a variety of marine animals. I have especially enjoyed the Marine Animal Mystery program, during which kids take

on the role of a veterinary technician to help examine and treat a patient (rubber or stuffed) who has recently been admitted to the hospital. The kids seem to have a blast when they get all dressed up in scrubs and gloves and start taking measurements, analyzing x-rays, and figuring out the what medicines the patient needs. So far, our young vet techs have helped bring a cold stunned sea turtle back to health and rehabilitated a young seal pup who was dehydrated suffering from some stomach bugs. Over the coming weeks, participants in the Marine Animal Mystery will learn about and take the lead on the treatment of dolphins, sharks, sea birds, and manatees. I am looking forward to these mysteries being just as educational and entertaining as the past two have been.

The other interns and I have also been busy with several projects requiring tools ranging from crayons to scalpels. We have been planning activities and crafts for the upcoming Fins and Flippers programs that will be focusing on a variety of animals, and we are all starting to make some progress on our individual projects that we will be presenting at the end of the summer. Brie and I were presented with a bit more unusual project the other day when were asked to begin the process of removing meat from a deceased and frozen sea turtle as part of the process of preserving the skeleton. The experience was new for me and, though a bit stinky, very interesting. It will be exciting to see the progression and completion of these projects over the rest of the summer.

Posted by Brian Q.
Brian is a Summer, 2011 Intern at the National Marine Life Center.