A long-awaited project to harden a Key West wild animal rescue broke ground this month — just four days into hurricane season.
For more than 25 years, the Key West Wildlife Center has provided around-the-clock rescue and rehabilitation services for wild animals across the Lower Keys.
On June 4, the nonprofit began work to revitalize its aviary and clinic building, which has serious roof damage and structural issues.
“The roof leaks, the exterior is crumbling, the interior walls are weak and soft, and the mechanical systems consistently fail,” said the center’s board president Jennifer Lopes in a statement.
The new clinic is expected to be elevated and be able to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, according to a wildlife center spokesperson.
READ MORE: Architects are fortifying Key West’s historic courthouse against Cat 5 hurricane winds
The clinic will double as a visitor center and will meet new federal flood level standards, and have 25% more space inside for patients as well as 40% more space outside for rehabilitation efforts, according to Lopes.
The nonprofit has been raising funds for the project since 2021 and preparing for construction for months. The project is being funded through money raised by the center’s “Raising the Roof …Building our Future” campaign that has a $2.4 million goal.
In April, staff moved their avian patients into temporary housing, so that they’re not disturbed by construction efforts.
“That’s why we constructed [the temporary housing], so we could still conduct our work during the like six to nine months that this project is going to take,” said Animal Care Director Peggy Coontz.
The center rescued nearly 1,500 native wildlife patients in 2023, according to executive director Tom Sweets.
The center is still providing 24-hour rescue services but visitor hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and “variable hours during the week” due to construction. For more information visit keywestwildlifecenter.org.
