Business steps in to replace zoo donations
Wellington Zoo has received a $300 donation from a city business to replace the money lost when its conservation fund donation box was stolen.
Pho Viet Streetfood, a Vietnamese restaurant in the suburb of Newtown, offered the money after it was reported a man and woman had allegedly stolen the donation box from the zoo’s foyer about 3.30pm on Tuesday.
Restaurant co-owner Seamus McGrath said he lived about 50 metres from the zoo, and often took his children there.
‘‘I was just p ..... off at the people that did it. They still want to catch them, obviously, but we thought that we’d get the dollars back to them.’’
The zoo was able to provide clear CCTV footage of the man and woman who allegedly took the donation box, but police said yesterday that the pair had not been found.
‘‘[This] week, there may be some update once staff have had time to review the CCTV footage,’’ a spokeswoman said.
Police launched an investigation into the theft, and their forensics team had examined the scene.
McGrath said they were looking at new ways their business could help the zoo in the future.
The zoo was not entirely sure how much money was in the donation box at the time it was stolen. But if it was found to be more than $300 then the restaurant would make a further donation, he said.
McGrath said he had received a lot of messages from the public asking if they could contribute to the restaurant’s donation.
But the restaurant’s gift was all money that had been made by his business, he said. ‘‘A lot of people from the zoo eat at our restaurant.’’
As a charitable organisation, the zoo relies on donations to its conservation fund to support its conservation partners.