Campaign to raise funds for Dublin Zoo underway
A CAMPAIGN TO ‘Save Dublin Zoo’ has been launched amid ongoing Covid-19 restrictions and while merely a week into it a whopping €1 million has been raised it isn’t enough to continue funding animal care beyond the end of 2020.
The campaign to raise vital funds to save Dublin Zoo, located in the heart of Ireland’s capital city was launched on 11th November to cover the cost of animal care.
Friendly sea lions are among animals in the care of Dublin Zoo, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually
Dublin Zoo requires €500,000 each month to care for its animals. The zoo has already been forced to dip into emergency funding reserves to continue providing world-class care to more than 400 animals.
The zoo has been forced to close under Level 5 restrictions for Covid-19, the highest on the national scale.
“We are in serious financial difficulty because of Covid-19 and have launched the Save Dublin Zoo campaign to raise much needed funds to help care for the animals here at the Zoo,” said zoo director Dr Christoph Schwitzer. “We understand this is a challenging time for everyone so we are asking people to only give what they can and every donation counts no matter the size. Without financial support we are facing an uncertain future and may have to close.”
The Dublin Zoo Wild Lights programme attended by hundreds of thousands of visitors in recent years affected vital funding for Dublin Zoo
The non-profit registered zoo has consistently raised its own funds over the centuries at its home in Phoenix Park, Dublin Ireland among which have been the outdoor ‘Wild Lights’ programme that ran nightly from October to January until this year. Funds have been raised consistently at a variety of events such as weddings, parties and corporate launches.
“At this time of year we are usually in the middle of Wild Lights and making preparations for the busy Christmas period but instead we find ourselves fighting for our future and calling on the people to answer our call and donate if possible,” said Dr Christoph Schwitzer. “We are so grateful for the messages of support from our devoted visitors and annual pass holders who have shown an outpouring of love and compassion from the start. We are now asking those who are able to help us to give what they can and help raise awareness for the Save Dublin Zoo campaign.”
Lions in the zoo wildlife programme are at risk without funding for Dublin Zoo
Dublin Zoo has been home to resident wildlife for generations, a place for families and friends to connect with nature while learning about animals.
Donations are welcome online and by phone and fundraising ideas are welcomed at https://www.dublinzoo.ie savedublinzoo@dublinzoo.ie @DublinZoo, phone +353 (0)1 4748900.
