Wellington Zoo has launched an urgent fundraising campaign after more than 30 seabirds were brought in following last week’s severe weather.
According to a report by 1News, Several albatrosses, petrels and penguins were either swept up at sea or blown ashore during the storm, leaving the zoo’s veterinary team stretched and short on space. Birds are currently being treated in plastic tubs as staff work around the clock to stabilise them.
The zoo’s lead veterinarian, Shanna Rose, said the team has been “overwhelmed” with the number of patients arriving at the facility.
“The main problem that we have to deal with after they've crashed landed are organ systems failures,” she said, 1News has quoted.
“And we quite often see that their guts have stopped working. So a very complicated process to get them back on track,” as quoted by 1News.
More than a week after the storm, critically ill birds are still being admitted.
“Because we're getting further up from when the event happened, the birds that are starting to trickle in are now the ones that are really, really sick,” Rose said.
The zoo’s veterinary hospital, Te Kōhanga The Nest, costs about $1 million a year to operate. With rising operational costs and the sudden influx of injured wildlife, the zoo has turned to the public for additional support through a social media appeal.
Erin Reilly from Wellington Zoo said extreme weather events place significant pressure on resources.
“Big, big weather events don't happen often, and it is a real drain on our resourcing and our finances,” she said.
“Wellington Zoo is a not-for-profit, so we rely on people visiting and donations to help fund the work that we do here,” as quoted by 1News.
According to 1News, among the birds receiving care are Northern Royal Albatrosses, one of the largest seabirds in the world, which require intensive manpower and effort to rehabilitate. With long lifespans and infrequent breeding cycles, they are considered “cornerstones of their populations,” and successfully returning them to the wild can have a “major impact on conservation.”
Reilly said the team needs more support to continue the “incredible mahi” they are doing and encouraged the public to consider making a donation, as reported by 1News.