WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Zoo New York Executive Director Mark Irwin spent Wednesday morning opening a pile of mail with donation checks inside.
“Whoa, this is for $10,000! That’s a big one,” he said.
The money continues to come in after a recent New York Times article explained the zoo’s hardships and lack of public funding.
“This is amazing. It’s very uplifting. We’re so thankful and we appreciate this much attention coming to our little zoo here,” said Irwin.
The zoo has now seen more than $200,000 in donations since the article was posted online nearly 2 weeks ago. Recently, the same article appeared in the Times’ print version of the newspaper, leading to this latest influx of envelopes.
“What it does give us is some stability and security through the winter, because obviously we have a lot less attendance through that time, and it helps us make sure we can meet all of our needs that way,” said Irwin.
As they go through their mail, zoo employees are also finding piles, and piles of receipts for items from their Amazon wish list, which many donors have been fulfilling. The items range from paper towels to a big red soccer ball for the elk.
“It feels a little bit coming in like every day is a birthday or Christmas. That’s the one thing that’s really motivated people is to think about the animals that we care for. Are they misfits? I guess technically they are. A lot of our animals were rescues that come in confiscations from DEC, for example. We give them a good home, and they want to see the animals do well,” said Irwin.
Zoo leaders are taking time to decide what’s the best way to invest the donations into Zoo New York.
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