ECOMUSEUM STRUGGLES
Fundraising steps in after revenue evaporates
Ecomuseum executive director David Rodrigue isn’t one to support attributing human characteristics to the animals living at the wildlife zoo, but since it closed in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he swears the critters are missing the buzz of human activity.
“The three red foxes have 900 square feet of forest all to themselves, but the three of them are right with me the minute I arrive,” Rodrigue says. “And Siku, the woodland caribou, sticks to me when I visit.”
Rodrigue has been making weekly visits to the zoo in Ste-anne-debellevue to make sure everything is running smoothly since the shutdown on March 16. Sixty per cent of the staff were laid off, but a dedicated team remains at the zoo to look after its 115 species — all native to Quebec. And two maintenance workers are keeping everything in working order — the complex filter system for the otter pond must be watched carefully.
The diverse population of mammals, birds and amphibians all ended up at the zoo because they could not survive on their own. Some were orphaned, others were injured and some were born under human care.
Rodrigue is comforted knowing the animals are well-cared-for. What’s worrying him is that the care costs money. To keep the facility running, it costs about $105,000 a month, or $3,500 a day.
A whopping 97 per cent of the zoo’s $2.2-million operating budget comes from admission, special programs, the gift shop, conservation projects and payment for expertise. That operational revenue stream has been reduced to a trickle since the doors were closed to the public.
“I can’t say for certain how long we can hang on, because there are so many variables,” Rodrigue says. “We don’t know how long this whole situation will last. But the worst thing that can happen is that people stop following the (COVID-19) guidelines and this goes on even longer.”
The Ecomuseum receives project-specific grants from the federal and provincial governments, but its operating budget is not subsidized by public funds. (Since 2013, the zoo also has raised slightly more than $8 million through private fundraising and sponsorships, to be applied to its development.)
The little bit of good news is that when word got out about the zoo’s struggles, the public response was swift. By mid-week, close to $45,000 had been raised via the Ecomuseum’s website link to canadahelps.org. And a privately launched Facebook fundraiser has met its target of $10,000.
“It is so nice to see people respond like this,” Rodrigue says.
He says by donating or purchasing a ticket in advance, people can help the zoo survive.
The remaining staff and Rodrigue are preparing for the future, working on ways to modify the site to align with social distancing measures — such as the introduction of one-way walking paths — as well as hygiene protocols, including the use of masks and visors.
Even with a reopening plan in place, Rodrigue worries about what the future holds.
“If we open and the maximum we are allowed is 300 people, revenue-wise, that will have a serious impact on our ability to operate,” he says. “We wouldn’t be able to hire everybody back.”
If we open and the maximum we are allowed is 300 people, revenue-wise, that will have a serious impact on our ability to operate.