Oakland Zoo breaks ground on $10.8 million veterinary hospital

OAKLAND, CALIF. — Construction is underway on Oakland Zoo's new veterinary hospital—the first on-site facility to treat the zoo's 600-plus residents.

The new, 17,000-square-foot Veterinary Medical Hospital is scheduled for completion next summer and will rank as the second largest zoo veterinary hospital in California, next to the San Diego Zoo.

Veterinary care for animals housed at the Oakland Zoo required transport to the University of California-Davis, nearly 70 miles away.

"This is a long-awaited event, and it is a huge leap forward for medical care of animals at the Oakland Zoo," says Dr. Karen Emanuelson, director of veterinary services at the zoo. "A great team of people have come together to build a world-class institution."

The $10.8 million hospital will include an intensive-care unit, a radiology department, research laboratories, a pharmacy and surgery rooms. There will also be learning opportunities for UC-Davis veterinary students.

Along with the veterinary hospital, the zoo also began construction on its California Trail Project, which includes 20 acres of new exhibits for regionally extinct animals and 30 acres of open-space habitat.