This week, the Shedd Aquarium is temporarily shutting one of its most popular attractions--the oceanarium, which houses the aquarium’s marine mammals. The place needs a face lift, and that means some 145 creatures will have to move out.

Ken Ramirez has been with The John G. Shedd Aquarium since its first oceanarium was built almost two decades ago. He’s been in charge of moving animals around before. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
 
RAMIREZ: It’s a logistically complicated affair, it’s like putting together a complicated wedding.

And if it’s a wedding, then Ramirez is the wedding planner. As Vice President of animal collections and animal training, his expertise has been sought after by aquariums across the country.

RAMIREZ: We have beluga whales, pacific white sided dolphins, Alaskan sea otters, sea lions. 

He says it’s time to update where these animals live. So for the next nine months, the Oceanarium will be closed for remodeling.

RAMIREZ: Closing the Oceanarium is not really to fix things that are wrong…

It’s more like plastic surgery.

RAMIREZ: Gosh, it’s an 18-year-old building, let’s just give it a little sprucing up, a little face-lift.

Details on the Oceanarium’s $50 million face lift aren’t released yet, but it’s fair to say it’s a huge undertaking. All of the Oceanarium’s animals—ranging from 2,000-pound Beluga whales, to starfish—will temporarily relocate to facilities across the country.

Trainers have been working with the animals to simulate what they’ll encounter during the move, and Ramirez has been prepping transport companies on what to expect, too.

RAMIREZ: Often you’re using someone who’s used to moving cargo.

But sometimes cargo operators don’t know a lot about moving marine mammals, so Ramirez shows them video tapes of past moves to get the idea. It might sound risky, but Steve Feldman from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums says...

FELDMAN: There’s not a tremendous amount of risk, but again, when you’re moving a large marine mammal, if you’re going to have them out of the water for a period of time, you want to minimize that amount of time.

Feldman says large animal transport has improved over the years, and Ramirez agrees.

RAMIREZ: I think that the biggest risk is something going wrong with the airplane or truck that you’re using…

Ramirez doesn’t plan on tranquilizing any of the animals, and says that the biggest comfort comes from the trainers who will be there every step of the way.

RAMIREZ: I always equate it with a child who goes on an airplane for the first time. If you put them on a plane by themselves, it could be a scary experience. On the other hand, if they’re going on the plane with their mom, their dad—people they know—it becomes more of an adventure—it’s fun.

But don’t expect to know where, when, or how any of this will take place. Ramirez is stingy with details on how this will go down, but says that it’s in the animal’s best interest.

RAMIREZ: In the past, we foolishly told people when we were moving animals, and too many people want to come see. Then we have to worry about crowd control as opposed to animal care.

Keeping details from the public until after is pretty common place, says the AZA’s Feldman.

FELDMAN: There’s a reason why we hold those details back until the transport is accomplished, and really it’s for the safety of the animal.

Shedd will release more information once the transports are completed. The aquarium is scheduled to re-open this Friday. Visitors will have access to exhibits with fish, sharks, turtles, and snakes, but will have to wait until next summer for any warm-blooded creatures.
 
For Chicago Public Radio, I’m Eilee Heikenen-Weiss.