Wildlife organisations feeling Covid-19 bite
Wildlife centres throughout New Zealand have turned to the public to help keep animals fed and cared for as revenue plummets as a result of coronavirus.
Paul Atkins, chief executive of Wellington eco-sanctuary Zealandia, said the business relied heavily on revenue raised by visitors to the sanctuary.
From January to March this year, Zealandia had 45,000 people through the gates. Since lockdown, there have been none.
Atkins said it was difficult to put a number on the revenue loss, but the sanctuary was looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
‘‘Just the revenue we earn from people coming and taking tours, let alone the revenue we earn from those people then buying refreshments in the cafe or souvenirs in the shop, is a very significant number when that drops to zero.’’
While there was less money, the cost of maintaining Zealandia had not dropped.
‘‘We have to look after the wellbeing of all the animals in the sanctuary, we have to make sure biosecurity is retained and the fence is secure.’’
When asked if it could mean the end of Zealandia, Atkins responded with an emphatic ‘‘no’’.
‘‘We are able to run ourselves sustainably, we are able to manage ourselves with great care, and we will absolutely not allow any negative impact on the impact Zealandia has been having to our city.’’
It is not the first time the sanctuary has been in financial trouble.
In 2015, the visitors’ centre was brought under the control of Wellington City Council when a $17 million redevelopment failed to draw in the expected volume of visitors. The council had given Zealandia a $10m loan to build the centre.
The visitors’ centre is now leased to the Karori Sanctuary Trust, which owns the sanctuary.
This time, Zealandia has turned to the public, rather than ratepayers, for money. It has set up a Givealittle page, which went live on May 1 and had raised more than $38,000 by yesterday.
Zealandia has also received $300,000 from the wage subsidy scheme.
The sanctuary is not the only organisation caring for animals that is struggling with the impact of Covid-19. A spokeswoman for Wellington Zoo said, as a charitable trust, the zoo relied on visitors.
‘‘We have successfully applied for the government wage subsidy and used some of our cash reserves to maintain our high levels of animal care during lockdown.’’
The zoo was seeking additional funding from Wellington City Council, she said.
Christchurch’s Orana Wildlife Park has raised more than $300,000 through a Givealittle page, while Auckland Zoo said it was able to continue providing a high level of animal care during lockdown, as it was council controlled.