Texas State Aquarium Brings Coastal Wildlife Rescue and Education Statewide with Support from Reliant
November 28, 2022
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Reliant and the Texas State Aquarium (TSA) are coming together to expand coastal wildlife rescue and education efforts across the Lone Star State. With a $25,000 donation from Reliant, TSA will provide an interactive learning platform to children in underserved communities in Dallas, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and more areas where residents are unable to visit the Aquarium and the new Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue.
“As longtime supporters of the beloved Texas State Aquarium, we’re excited to provide resources for them to expand their educational program in a fun and unique way that reaches even more Texans,” said Elizabeth Killinger, president of Reliant. “Reliant has a deep commitment to the Lone Star State, and in partnering with the Aquarium, we hope to inspire the next generation to appreciate and protect our coastal wildlife.”
TSA recently converted a retired ambulance donated by the Corpus Christi Fire Department into its Wildlife Rescue vehicle. Its primary purpose is to respond to wildlife emergencies and transport injured, ill, or stranded marine animals. However, when not being used for this purpose, it will serve as the main attraction of the Aquarium’s new educational program, Wildlife Rescue on the Road. The program’s goal is to visit schools and nonprofits, such as the YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs in underserved communities across Texas.
Today, the Aquarium launched their brand-new educational program, Wildlife Rescue on the Road, with 6th graders from the Flour Bluff Independent School District and will continue to expand its reach in upcoming months. Participants were able to tour the vehicle and study how it responds to wildlife emergencies, such as stranded marine mammals, cold-stunned sea turtle events, injured shorebirds and more. This first-hand learning experience highlights the Aquarium’s Wildlife Rescue mission, advocating for wildlife conservation and minimizing human impact on the coastal environment.
“We are grateful to Reliant for helping us launch this traveling program, giving us the ability to bring Texas’ coastal wildlife to communities here in Corpus Christi and around the state,” said Jesse Gilbert, Texas State Aquarium President and Chief Executive Officer. “Many children living in our state have never visited the Texas coast, and we are excited to bring this creative initiative to them.”
The educational program, Wildlife Rescue on the Road, will begin its robust statewide tour starting with Houston in January of 2023. To learn more about this initiative, visit texasstateaquarium.org/educate/offsite.
Photos: https://bit.ly/3tBpRCH
Credit: Texas State Aquarium
B-roll: https://bit.ly/3UKlxge
Credit: Texas State Aquarium