Irish zoos to get a 1.6 million euro increase in funding after campaign to save Dublin zoo garners massive support

ADDITIONAL FUNDING DESTINED AT € 1.6 million to support Irish zoos across the country, of which € 1.1 million will go to Dublin Zoo and Fota Island Wildlife Park.

The announcement comes from Ministers Darragh O’Brien and Malcolm Noonan during a week in which a public campaign to save Dublin Zoo has raised more than two million euros since it began on Wednesday.

The € 1.1 million will be split between Dublin Zoo and Fota Island Wildlife Park, with the remaining € 500,000 going to support 69 small and medium-sized zoos across the country.

While Minister Noonan admitted that the state does not typically provide funding to the zoo sector, he made it clear that this is due to the difficult year that zoos have faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The great amount of public support for the attractiveness of the Dublin Zoo is testament to the great love that so many people have for our zoos. I am also aware of the staff, whose main concern has always been the animals in their care, ”said Noonan.

I hope the government can continue to support our zoos and aquariums until they can reopen and prosper.

Earlier in the week, Dublin Zoo Director Dr. Christopher Schwitzer said there was a risk that the attraction would be closed permanently due to the impact of the pandemic.

He had expected the cash reserves to last until next spring, “and no further now.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin pledged his support, leading to Twitter to confirm that the government would take action on funding issues.

Then the zoo launched a fundraising campaign, raising more than 1 million in less than 12 hours.

Currently, the attraction has raised more than two million euros, and the zoo thanked all its followers on social networks yesterday.

“Thanks to your incredible support, we have now reached an epic milestone of € 2,000,000. In just two days he has completed our year, we can never thank him enough ”, said the publication Twitter.