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The Dublin Zoo has warned that it might have to close permanently due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The facility, which opened in 1830, is closed to the public due to coronavirus restrictions, but has yet to cover the cost of feeding and maintaining the animals, which amounts to about € 500,000 a month.
The zoo today announced the launch of the ‘Save Dublin Zoo’ fundraising campaign, asking for help from the Irish public.
Dublin Zoo is a non-profit organization that receives no legal funding.
It says that revenue streams, in the form of entry and sales receipts on the site, have almost completely evaporated due to Covid-19 and, to date, the zoo has lost € 8.2 million in potential revenue.
Fundraising Campaign Launch Dublin Zoo Director Dr. Christoph Schwitzer said: “We are in serious financial difficulty due to Covid-19 and we are launching the Save Dublin Zoo campaign to raise much needed funds to help care to the animals here at the zoo.
“We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone, so we ask people to only give what they can, every donation counts, regardless of size.
“We have relied on our emergency cash reserves to remain open when allowed, but even then, restrictions on the number of visitors due to social distancing have made it nearly impossible to generate enough income to cover expenses.
“Without financial support, we face an uncertain future and we may have to close.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Dr. Schwitzer said that Covid-19 had a severe effect on the zoo.
He said: “In normal times, running the zoo costs around 1 million euros a month … you can’t turn off a zoo at night when you go home. Taking care of the animals only costs half a million euros a month. month”.
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