After learning the animal rescue program at the Mystic Aquarium needed tank dividers to help keep endangered turtles safe, the team at Proterial Cable America High Performance Defense Solutions (PCA-HPDS) made the parts to solve the problem.
On a typical day, PCA makes high performance components for our customers, but we were excited to help a local organization. Read on to hear the details.
Bob Chenal, Sales and Program Manager at PCA-HPDS, volunteers for the Animal Rescue Program at the aquarium, located in Mystic, Connecticut. Chenal is an animal lover, and wanted to be involved in the community, so when a friend of his, Sarah Callan, who is the manager of the animal rescue program, asked if he would volunteer in 2021, he jumped at the chance.
“I was one of several early volunteers,” Chenal says. “Now they have a whole volunteer network.”
More recently, Callan recognized the issue involving endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles at the aquarium.
“When they’re feeding, the turtles can get competitive over food,” Callan says. “They need to be separated to prevent that from happening.”
Chenal says a simple lattice was being placed in the water to keep the turtles apart, but it wasn’t a good long-term solution.
The Animal Rescue Program at the Mystic Aquarium helps sick and injured endangered marine animals and the critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles were discovered in a hypothermic state back in December.
“This time of year, turtles get cold-stunned, [a condition where cold temperature-exposure causes turtles to become weak and inactive] and stranded,” Chenal says. “So, the aquarium will house them and rehab them before releasing them.”
When the turtles are brought to the aquarium, they are housed in circular pools, often multiple turtles per enclosure. As the turtles get healthier and stronger they become competitive during feeding times. A problem developed when they became aggressive towards one another. To mitigate potential injuries during feeding times, the turtles would need to be separated.
Understanding the aquarium needed a better solution to separate the turtles in the pools, Callan asked Chenal if he and his team at PCA-HPDS could make plastic dividers for each of the eight housing units.
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, the dividers were installed. Thanks to the caring aquarium team and the work done by PCA-HPDS, the turtles can safely coexist throughout the remainder of their rehabilitation and get released back to their ocean environment as soon as possible.
“The team has been fantastic,” Callan says. “I’ve been blown away with the expertise—between the different machining and engineering work, coming up with a design that allows for animal safety while ensuring water quality parameters are upheld.”
Each pool needed a divider so more turtles could be held without them sharing the same space. However, water needed to be able to pass through the divider to maintain a constant flow throughout the pool, keeping the water quality exceptional for the animals.
PCA-HPDS made metal brackets to hold the divider in place, and a plastic sheet waterjet to size with large enough holes in it for water to pass through but small enough that the turtles can’t get their flippers stuck in them.
The team at PCA-HPDS is proud to support meaningful initiatives like the Animal Rescue Program at Mystic Aquarium. Whether through high-performance components, CNC Machining or solutions for our community, HPDS is here to help.
Visit our website or contact our team today to learn more about how PCA-HPDS can provide innovative solutions for your needs
