PITTSBURGH — The National Aviary, based on the North Side of Pittsburgh, will soon embark on creating a brand new facility, thanks to a local benefactor.
S. Kent Rockwell, the CEO of Pittsburgh-based Rockwell Venture Capital and repeat philanthropist at a number of local institutions, announced that his institution, the SK Rockwell Conservancy, plans to purchase the Shady Side Academy Middle School property at 100 Benedum Lane in Fox Chapel. The property will then be donated to the Aviary to create the National Aviary SK Rockwell Conservancy, housing a veterinary teaching hospital, an avian breeding and conservation center and an educational center for scheduled programming and school trips. It will not be open to the public.
“While hundreds of thousands of annual visitors and online followers recognize the National Aviary as a cultural gem, few realize our global leadership in avian conservation through ecological research, husbandry, education and groundbreaking health care advancements,” Cheryl Tracy, executive director of the National Aviary, said in a release. “Avian medicine is underrepresented in the veterinary field, and our new facility will further equip students, wildlife rehabilitators and researchers with cutting-edge tools to address the most pressing challenges facing birds worldwide.”
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