Toronto Zoo calls for donations to help feed animals during pandemic

Thestar.com
April 17, 2020
Jennifer Pagliaro

The Toronto Zoo is asking for donations to help feeds its 5,000 animals after ticket and parking sales disappeared because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, a fundraising arm of the Scarborough-area zoo posted a call on social media for donations to help with the $1-million annual feeding costs.

That expense, a Facebook post said, is typically covered by parking and admission revenues. The “Zoo Food For Life” campaign is looking to raise $100,000. As of Thursday, they’d already raised over $30,000.

As of right now, CEO Dolf DeJong said they’ve ordered several months of some specialty food and have made other changes in order to be able to focus on affording to care for the animals.

The zoo earlier announced it was temporarily laying off 118 non-permanent employees and postponed hiring of 275 summer positions.

In this season, excluding March Break, the zoo brings in about $500,000 a week, he said. But he noted the $100,000 they’re hoping to raise through the fundraiser is a significant chunk -- 10 per cent -- of their food budget.

“That’s the kind of support that is going to bridge us for at least a month and that’s really important at this time to have those other sources coming on,” DeJong said. He couldn’t say how the zoo would fare in the long-term as the pandemic continues on.

The zoo -- a corporation of the City of Toronto -- has long struggled financially, with attendance and revenues below expected projections and requests for loans from the city for programs management claimed would boost visitors.

One of those programs -- an interactive light show, Terra Lumina, was expected to run until April 13 but was forced to end earlier due to the zoo closure, DeJong said. An additional $500,000 in revenues was expected in that final month for the show.

Revenues at the end of 2019 were $3.7 million below what was budgeted and up $2.6 million over the previous year, according to a report to the zoo’s board.