Every morning, just as the sun rises over the adjacent port, 40 men and women in matching blue collared t-shirts walk through the doors of Italy’s world famous Aquarium of Genoa. They are always the first to arrive and often the last to leave because, for this troupe of veterinarians, aquarists, animal trainers, and marine biologists, work doesn’t always end when business hours are over.

The aquarium, which is the largest in Italy and among the largest in Europe, sits atop a wharf on the edge of the city of Genoa. The aging attraction, built in 1992, is home to just over 12,000 animal specimens from 600 different species. This diverse collection of dolphins, penguins, manatees, jellyfish, seals, sharks, and