Marine Animal Lifeline buys Route 1 property

SCARBOROUGH – A marine animal rescue network based in Westbrook has purchased property on which it hopes to build a rehabilitation and recovery center for sick and injured marine mammals.

Marine Animal Lifeline bought the 7-acre property on Route 1 last month and plans to build a permanent home there. The organization will move its offices into the house and gradually transfer rescue and rehabilitation operations.

Eventually, the group would like to build a new facility on the property, but officials do not have cost estimates or timelines for that phase of the project.

“We’re just going to pick this up and move over there, and continue to work,” said Greg Jakush, Marine Animal Lifeline’s president and founder.

The group bought the property for $220,000 with the help of a $100,000 donation from a trust that wanted to remain anonymous. The lifeline already has won approval for the project from town planners.

Marine Animal Lifeline has an annual operating budget of about $300,000, a network of about 250 volunteers from Kittery to Rockland, and a staff that includes animal care technicians, a veterinarian and a development coordinator.

Last year, the organization handled more than 805 cases of stranded, sick, injured and dead animals.