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James W. Carpenter Clinic Unveiled at the Sunset Zoo

Published on 6/17/2013
PRESS RELEASE
 

James W. Carpenter Veterinary Clinic Unveiled at Friend of Sunset Zoo’s Wine in the Wild

June 2, 2013, Manhattan, KS – Nearly 470 community members attended Friends of Sunset Zoo’s annual Wine in the Wild fundraiser at Manhattan’s Sunset Zoo Saturday evening.  The event featured the unveiling of the James W. Carpenter Clinic, a newly renovated veterinary facility that supports the daily healthcare of the Zoo’s animal collection. The clinic is named after Dr. James Carpenter, Professor of Zoological Medicine at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM).

 

“Dr. Carpenter has spent the last 24 years meticulously caring for the Zoo’s animal residents – a trait that made it near impossible to keep the clinic name a surprise from him until tonight,” said Scott Shoemaker, Zoo Director. “His attention to detail and true passion for his work are the reason our animals enjoy such a wonderful quality of life. We could not have named the space after a more deserving individual.”

 

Dr. Carpenter leads a team from K-State’s CVM to provide veterinary care for the Zoo’s 200+ animal residents. Prior to this renovation, a single room located in the Zoo’s old administrative office building served as the animal clinic space.  The veterinary team would spend hours each week packing up equipment and transporting it from the Animal Health Center at K-State. With the moving of the Zoo’s administrative offices to the new Nature Exploration Center, the Clinic has expanded into the emptied facility, quadrupling the space dedicated to on-grounds animal health.

 

The clinic features a main exam room, surgery room, pharmacy and laboratory space, and three rooms dedicated to animal holding and recovery.  Other renovations include the addition of a library and conference room, as well as dedicated space to manage animal medical records, and outfitting the entire facility with modern medical equipment. Renovations were made possible through K-State’s CVM, their Animal Health Center and several of their partners. Bowman, Bowman, Novick, Inc. served as the project’s architect and BHS Construction as the general contractor.