Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium is investing in a new facility intended to improve care for its animals and create distinctive learning opportunities for future veterinary professionals.

The aquarium has begun construction on a $5 million animal hospital inside the River Journey building.

Planned for the building’s third-floor area, the approximately 3,100-square-foot facility is expected to open in June 2027.

The hospital is being designed to bring diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and recovery closer together for the aquarium’s freshwater and other aquatic species.

Among its planned features are imaging equipment, laboratories, surgical areas, and dedicated recovery space.

That could reduce the need to transport animals to outside facilities for certain procedures, a process that can be stressful for both animals and care teams.

The project also establishes an educational partnership with the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and Chattanooga State Community College.

Veterinary students, technicians, interns, and researchers will gain opportunities for hands-on experience with species seldom encountered in ordinary clinical settings.

Aquarium leaders expect the facility to support research and knowledge-sharing with animal-care organizations beyond Chattanooga.

The investment is another example of how the downtown attraction contributes to the region beyond tourism.

Its conservation work is being linked directly to workforce training and specialized medicine.

Construction is underway, so the hospital is not yet open to the public or outside patients.

The larger promise is better care for the aquarium’s animals and more practical training for the next generation of specialists.