It has been a difficult year for wildlife conservation organisations all over the world but we have some good news for our native taonga.
Earlier this year, the New Zealand Government set up the Wildlife Institutions Relief Fund to support organisations that care for native wildlife that have impacted by Covid-19.
We are hugely grateful that our application to the fund, administered by the Department of Conservation, was successful and Auckland Zoo will receive $2.89M in funding that will help ensure our work for some of Aotearoa’s most at-risk species can continue. Such as, critical work with DOC to secure a future for Chesterfield and cobble skinks, who number in the region of 200 and 36 individuals respectively.
Our staff are directly involved in the conservation of 25 native species in the wild with our partners, care for more than 50 native species at the Zoo, and breed some of Aotearoa’s most threatened native species for release to safe areas in the wild. As a not-for-profit organisation that relies on visitation and donations to generate roughly 75% of our income, this will enable us to safeguard some of our most essential activities for wildlife during these uncertain times.
You can learn more about our Wild Work here.
