Mystic Aquarium's Allison Tuttle Headed to Taiwan as Fulbright Specialist

Mystic, CT – Allison D. Tuttle, DVM, Diplomate ACZM and Vice President of Biological Programs at Mystic Aquarium is headed to Taiwan as a Fulbright Specialist to assist the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. Tuttle will provide professional consultation as the organization looks to enhance its veterinary and husbandry programming.  Board certified in zoological medicine, Tuttle will bring over 15 years of experience in the field of aquatic animal medicine and husbandry to the Museum to provide professional consultation for animal care. 
 
“I am thrilled for this opportunity to share the expertise I have developed throughout my career,” said Tuttle.  “My experience living abroad ignited within me a desire to learn about other cultures and to build bridges for mutual benefit. This has extended to a desire to make a global impact in my career.” 
 
Fulbright Specialists are a diverse group of highly experienced, well-established faculty members and professionals who represent a wide variety of academic disciplines and professions. The Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning, and related subjects at academic institutions abroad for a period of 2 to 6 weeks.
 
“With the opportunity of serving as a Fulbright Specialist at The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Taiwan, I will have the opportunity to build bridges with an organization that, similar to Mystic Aquarium, displays aquatic animals for the purposes of conservation, education and research.”
 
For Tuttle personally, the opportunity is gratifying in many ways - as an opportunity to teach, to learn and inspire.
 
“One of the best means of inspiring environmental stewardship is providing people the opportunity to build a connection with a living animal that relies upon the environment for its survival.  It is through personal interactions with animals that aquarium guests are inspired to make changes in their lives that can directly impact conservation - the animals in aquariums are ambassadors for their wild counterparts and create in people an emotional desire to help.”
 
For some time, Tuttle has been consulting electronically on a periodic and volunteer basis with The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium on beluga health, veterinary care and husbandry management.  The Aquarium is an organization that strives to provide the best care possible for their belugas. They requested a Fulbright Specialist for a two-week period to not only critically evaluate their beluga whale veterinary and husbandry programs and environment, but also to help create a stronger platform of veterinary and husbandry management to improve the health and longevity of the belugas in their care. 
 
With a site visit, Tuttle plans on assessing and providing feedback on the Aquarium’s animal programs, environments, and food supply in order to enhance their animal operations and procedures. Additionally, Tuttle will spend time teaching their veterinarians new approaches and techniques, and working with them to develop stronger preventative medical protocols... 
 
Tuttle’s trip is just one of many ways that Mystic Aquarium is having a global impact.
 
“Through sharing of knowledge and experience, we strive to build additional relationships across the country and across the globe, because together we can accomplish our mission of conservation, education and research more strongly than we can as individuals.”

Mystic Aquarium, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is counted among the nation’s leading aquariums with more than 300 species and an extensive collection of marine mammals, including New England’s only belugas. Mystic Aquarium has been a pioneer in offering guests a variety of up close encounters with a wide range of marine animals. The mission of Mystic Aquarium is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through conservation, education and research. Mystic Aquarium receives major support from The Coca-Cola Company, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Resorts World Sentosa and United Technologies Corporation. Learn more at MysticAquarium.org.