New Animal Hospital Takes Shape At Denver Zoo

DENVER (CBS4)- The Denver Zoo continues to grow and along with it, a big construction project. The new animal hospital will help care for the residents who live there.

There are thousands of animals and most, at some point, need health care. With such a large task, it is essential that the veterinarians at the zoo have the most up-to-date tools and facilities available to them.

"To keep up with the direction the rest of the zoo is going we really needed a new facility to provide the type of care that we feel is important for our animals here." said Vice President for Animal Health Dr. Scott Larsen.

"To keep up with the direction the rest of the zoo is going we really needed a new facility to provide the type of care that we feel is important for our animals here." said Vice President for Animal Health Dr. Scott Larsen.

On Thursday, the City of Denver and the Denver Zoo marked the halfway point of construction on the new veterinary facility. The new building will allow the zoo's already talented veterinarians do even more for their animals.

"If we don't have a place for the tools. If we don't have space for them. If we can't efficiently work on the animals, we're just not going to do as good of a job as we can," said Larsen.

The new 22,000-square-foot animal hospital is almost double the size of the current one. The new facility will include a public lobby with viewing windows where guests can watch exams and procedures. The hospital will also feature a world-class diagnostic laboratory, indoor and outdoor holding and quarantine spaces, and one of the only animal hospital CT scanners in the country.

"Those things will really allow us to do a better job for the animals," said Larsen.

The Denver Zoo hopes will this be good not only for the animals but for budding veterinarians who just might get inspired by their work.

"And we're really excited to be able to share that with people," said Larsen.