Looking Forward in 2024

Happy New Year, Zoo Atlanta Community! As we begin another revolution around the sun, we have so much to look forward to in 2024. If you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the birth of Kiazi’s (southern white rhinoceros) baby on December 24, 2023. But the calf’s growth won’t be the only growth we’re excited to observe this year. We’re also keeping a close eye on a behind-the-scenes construction project. 

Last summer, the Zoo broke ground on the Rollins Animal Health Center. This state-of-the-art complex will be a vast improvement to the Zoo’s current veterinary facilities, which are currently scattered across several different buildings of various ages. I’m sure the entire Veterinary Team is ecstatic to now be able to say the facility is scheduled to open “this year.” 

Notable features of the new complex will include dedicated laboratory, radiology, and surgical spaces; a CT scanner; animal quarantine areas; and a necropsy (animal autopsy) suite. Dorm rooms will accommodate team members who may need to stay overnight or host visiting colleagues or students. And enhanced technology will provide new opportunities for the Veterinary Team to facilitate remote learning experiences. 

From advancing the health of Zoo Atlanta’s animal population to collaborating with global partners, the Rollins Animal Health Center will further enable the team to help save species through world-class medical care. Since this is, after all, the Conservation Blog, each month we’ll explore how Zoo veterinary professionals support the conservation of species. From native wildlife rehabilitation to responding to global conservation emergencies, our phenomenal Vet Team’s impacts extend far beyond the animals you see when you visit the Zoo. Stay tuned for each month’s blog, and discover all the things you didn’t know a Zoo Atlanta veterinary can and will do in the name of wildlife conservation.