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SCP-5185 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-5185
Expected annual
$499K
One-time setup
$206K
Annual recurring
$492K
Personnel
6
Initial one-time setup and capture costs are modest (~$206k) relative to ongoing operational and research staffing; recurring annual costs are driven by staff wages, long-term research, scalability risk, and contingency reserves.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $206K
Facilities $67K
[#3, #4, #5] Containment retrofit (dog day-care conversion), chain-link/anti-chew reinforcement, ceiling/vent sealing; medium estimates summed (45,000 + 10,000 + 12,000).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $36K
[#9, #19] Initial veterinary diagnostic evaluation and sequencing/biological analysis (initial genomics/histology scope combined).
Equipment $28K
[#6, #7, #18, #22, #15, #17] CCTV setup, specialized kennel/enrichment hardware, RFID/telemetry initial hardware, transport crates, initial PPE outfitting, initial decontamination equipment (summed mid-range estimates).
Contingency Seed $25K
[#23] One-time seed for incident response reserve (recommended seed amount).
Field Capture Operation $15K
[#1] One initial secure capture operation cost (vehicle, overtime, surveillance, minor payments/permits); per-operation estimate (mid-range used).
Heavy Transport And Containment $12K
[#2] Crane/truck/flatbed, permits, tamper-proof crate and decommissioning/safe storage for vending-machine machine instance (mid-range).
Public Incident Initial $10K
[#24] Initial public incident remediation / municipal liaison / cover-story/legal response for discovered vending-machine event (per-incident initial response).
Staff Training Initial $9K
[#14] Initial SOP development and staff training rollout (drills, protocol writing) - mid-range estimate.
Veterinary Supplies $3K
[#10] Initial veterinary pharmaceuticals and supplies stock (syringes, sedatives, disposables).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $492K/yr
Staff Wages $265K/yr
[#11, #12, #13] Salaries for animal care technicians (2 FTE), site security (2 FTE used for baseline day coverage), and research scientist (1 FTE) plus administrative support; mid-range salary assumptions summed.
Research And Monitoring $110K/yr
[#13, #19, #25] Long-term behavioral/genetic research program costs (graduate/postdoc support, sequencing follow-ups, data storage and studies) excluding research staff wages which are in staff_wages.
Scalability Budget $50K/yr
[#27] Monitoring & scalability contingency if vending-machine distribution continues (surge capacity planning, repeated seizures).
Cover Story And Legal $20K/yr
[#24, #28] Ongoing PR/legal/compliance budget and internal indemnity/insurance/legal accounting for anomalous asset liabilities.
Facilities Maintenance $10K/yr
[#3, #4, #5, #6, #18, #21] Ongoing maintenance of containment retrofit, fence/vent modifications, CCTV/telemetry maintenance and utilities/overhead (includes modest HVAC/filtering and monitoring upkeep).
Contingency Reserve Annual $10K/yr
[#23] Annual reserve contribution to replenish/maintain incident response funds.
Supplies And Consumables $9K/yr
[#7, #8, #10, #15, #17, #20] Food program (5 animals), PPE replacements, vet supply restocks, enrichment consumables, and cleaning/decontamination consumables (annual mid-range totals).
Veterinary Services $6K/yr
[#9] Recurring veterinary specialist care for five animals (exotic/arthropod specialist visits, routine exams, emergency care budget).
Logistics And Transport $5K/yr
[#1, #2, #22] Routine transport, minor field operations, and logistics for moving animals/supplies (fuel, vehicle use, small redeployments).
Staff Training And Sop Refresh $3K/yr
[#14] Annual refresher training, drills, and SOP updates.
Medical Surveillance $2K/yr
[#16] Employee healthcare and occupational surveillance for ~6 staff (baseline annual health checks, incident care budget).
Disposal And Recordkeeping $1K/yr
[#26] Ongoing necropsy, tissue archiving, and disposal budget (per-annum baseline assuming low mortality).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $492K/yr
92.0% probability / year
Normal year with existing five animals, routine care, and modest research activity; no major incidents.
no new vending machines discovered no escapes or serious incidents steady research pace
🚨 Minor Incident $522K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$30K vs baseline
Small containment incident or additional public instance requires a capture operation, minor repairs, and emergency veterinary care.
single escape or bite incident additional vending-machine instance found locally
🚨 Scalability Growth $642K/yr
2.0% probability / year +$150K vs baseline
Multiple new public dispensers discovered or reproduction leads to program scale-up (more animals, containment expansion, additional staff).
repeat vending machine distribution confirmed reproduction or population growth
🚨 Major Breach $792K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Significant containment breach with public exposure, mass decontamination, legal action and potential euthanasia/large repairs.
major escape media exposure or municipal involvement mass decontamination/euthanasia operations
👥 Personnel 6 total
Role Count Notes
Animal Care Technician 2 Full-time keepers/technicians trained for canine-equivalent and arthropod-specific care; corresponds to staff_wages [#11].
Security Officer / MTF Agent 2 Dedicated guards for perimeter/day coverage in baseline staffing; wages included in staff_wages [#12].
Research Scientist 1 Ethologist/behavioral scientist (1 FTE) for enrichment and study design; salary included in staff_wages and research_and_monitoring [#13].
Administrative Staff 1 Site/admin support for logistics, recordkeeping and liaison tasks; included in staff_wages (supports medical_surveillance and cover/legal coordination).
📋 Confidence Notes
Estimates use analyst mid-range figures from notes and map each line item explicitly; uncertainty remains due to anomalous biology, potential reproduction, and public-distribution dynamics which could materially change recurring costs.
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