‘A lot of people have grown up here’ - Staff, donors rally around Hope Zoo
Published:Saturday | May 16, 2020 | 12:00 AMJamila Litchmore/Special Projects and Engagement Editor
THE HOPE Zoo Preservation Foundation has been hard-hit by closure, arising from the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Jamaica.
No guests means no revenue for the non-profit, but staff and donors are helping to keep hope alive and care for the more than 1,000 animals at the facility.
“COVID-19 has had a big impact on revenue, with no guests coming into the zoo. Fortunately, our staff have still been coming, and we haven’t had to let anyone off. We’ve had to cut back some hours, but we still have an amazing staff here every day, helping to make sure the animals are receiving the same excellent care,” Curator Joey Brown told The Gleaner.
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries closed all public gardens under its control on March 20, as the Government placed restrictions on public gatherings, to limit the spread of COVID-19. Curfews have also curtailed movement all across the island.
For Brown, who lives at a residence on the grounds of the zoo, this has resulted in some adjustment in his schedule, a sacrifice he is more than willing to make so that members of staff can make it home before restrictions take effect.
But it has been difficult for the animal park and wildlife sanctuary, which is dependent on guests coming to the zoo and events such as school tours and birthday parties, for revenue to meet its maintenance bill.
BIGGEST EXPENSE
“A lot of people don’t realise how expensive it is on a daily basis to run a zoo,” said Brown, as he spoke about one of the zoo’s biggest expenses – providing food for the animals, comprising hundreds of birds, more than 100 mammals and 500 reptiles, including 300 Jamaican iguanas, part of the park’s conservation and research Head Start Programme for the Critically Endangered Jamaican Iguana.
The facility’s two lions, Lucas and Jasmine, also take up a lion’s share of the bill.
“For instance, [if] these lions are getting beef on a daily basis, [that’s] about eight pounds each. Just on a weekly basis, these two lions are going through about $30,000/$40,000 worth of meat, and that’s just two animals out of 1,000,” said Brown.
There is also veterinary care for the old and injured and those rescued through the zoo’s wildlife sanctuary, a partnership with the National Environment and Planning Agency to rescue native wildlife, including orphaned or injured birds and crocodiles.
“We do receive some very helpful funding from the Government, but everything else to keep the zoo running on a daily basis, feeding over 1,000 animals, is from guests coming. And so with no one, and us forced to close two months ago, that’s two months of closure with no money coming in,” said Brown.
GOFUNDME LAUNCHED
The curator launched a GoFundMe on May 5, to help the facility weather the pandemic. At press time, more than 140 donations were made and the page was US$2,563 shy of the US$10,000 target.
Brown has been heartened by the response to the campaign, both locally and internationally.
“We’ve had lots of people who’ve grown up here, brought their kids here, grew up here as kids. And we have people who still come here on a regular basis, so they want to keep this around. And so it has been very humbling to get the support that we have so far,” said Brown.
The Hope Zoo opened in 1961 and is one of the biggest and oldest zoos on the island.
Through GoFundMe, donors have the ability to enrol in the Adopt-a-Zoo-Animal programme, a fun incentive which includes features such as weekly updates and animal Zoom call - packages for which, start at US$65 and go up to US$150.
“You can see them getting fed, see what your money is going towards,” said Brown.
CORPORATE SUPPORT
As GoFundMe donors open their hearts and wallets, so is corporate Jamaica.
The zoo has an existing partnership with Caribbean Broilers (CB). The company donates chickens on a weekly basis.
For the past three months, PriceSmart has made weekly donations of fruits and vegetables, including boxes of watermelon, apples, Romaine lettuce and potatoes, to help feed the animals at the zoo.
“That’s one of the most expensive things we normally have to buy, so they’ve been a huge help,” said Brown. Through that partnership, other farmers have also reached out.
THE FUTURE
As the Hope Zoo prepares to reopen, uncertain of when that will be, they are not sitting idle. Staff at the zoo are currently working on giving the petting zoo a facelift, for more hands-on learning and interaction. The same goes for the aviaries. In the long term, they are looking to create a much larger walk-through space.
One thing is certain: when the guests return, and they will, Hope Zoo will be ready.
“We’re actually unsure of when we’ll be able to reopen, best-case scenario, we are hoping for early June, who knows. But when we do get the OK to reopen, we’re obviously excited for people to come back, and we’re trying to work on fun, promotional packages or activities, discount passes, just so people, everyone who has been stuck in their house or stuck at home for so many months, can come out and have a nice day,” said Brown.
To donate or learn more about the Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation, visit gofundme.com/hopezoo-emergency-fund or follow @HopeZooKingston on Instagram and Twitter.
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