POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) —The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says it is donating $10,000 to an emergency wildlife fund set up in response to wildfires in Australia.
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: A male koala is weighed by vets and nurses at the Adelaide Koala Rescue emergency set up at Paradise Primary Schools gynasium on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: A male koala is weighed by vets and nurses at the Adelaide Koala Rescue emergency set up at Paradise Primary Schools gynasium on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: Orphaned Baby koalas in their pen at Paradise Primary school in Adelaide set up Adelaide Koala Rescue on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: A Vet checks an injured male koala at Adelaide Koala Rescue which has been set up in the gymnasium at Paradise Primary School in Adelaide on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: Jane Brister director of Adelaide Koala Rescue with Floyd one of the first rescued Koalas from the Cudlee Creek fires recovering in the outside pen at Paradise Primary school where Adelaide Koala Rescue have set up in the schools gymnasium on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: Rescued orphaned baby koals at Adelaide Koala Rescue which has been set up in the gymnasium at Paradise Primary School in Adelaide on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: Female koala Shirley recovering in her pen at Adelaide Koala Rescue as Labour Leader Anthony Albanese moves in for a hold of him .The Adelaide Koala Rescue which has been set up in the gymnasium at Paradise Primary School in Adelaide on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island’s 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: Volunteer wildlife carer Minka Macaule, 14, feeds an injured koala joey at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in the Parndana region on January 08, 2020 on Kangaroo Island, Australia. The Kangaroo Wildlife Park positioned on the edge of the fire zone has been treating and housing close to 30 koala’s a day. Almost 100 army reservists have arrived in Kangaroo Island to assist with clean up operations following the catastrophic bushfire that killed two people and burned more than 155,000 hectares on Kangaroo Island on 4 January. At least 56 homes were also destroyed. Bushfires continue to burn on the island, with firefighters pushing to contain the blaze before forecast strong winds and rising temperatures return. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: An injured koala rests in a washing basket at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in the Parndana region on January 08, 2020 on Kangaroo Island, Australia. The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park positioned on the edge of the fire zone has been treating and housing close to 30 koala’s a day. Almost 100 army reservists have arrived in Kangaroo Island to assist with clean up operations following the catastrophic bushfire that killed two people and burned more than 155,000 hectares on Kangaroo Island on 4 January. At least 56 homes were also destroyed. Bushfires continue to burn on the island, with firefighters pushing to contain the blaze before forecast strong winds and rising temperatures return. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 08: An injured koala rests in a washing basket at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in the Parndana region on January 08, 2020 on Kangaroo Island, Australia. The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park positioned on the edge of the fire zone has been treating and housing close to 30 koala’s a day. Almost 100 army reservists have arrived in Kangaroo Island to assist with clean up operations following the catastrophic bushfire that killed two people and burned more than 155,000 hectares on Kangaroo Island on 4 January. At least 56 homes were also destroyed. Bushfires continue to burn on the island, with firefighters pushing to contain the blaze before forecast strong winds and rising temperatures return. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
Columbus Zoo President and CEO Tom Stalf issued the following statement Thursday:
Our hearts go out to the people and wildlife of Australia, and we continue to follow the situation closely while remaining in regular communication with our Australian colleagues and wildlife conservation partners. When our conservation partners alert us to emergencies such as these terrible wildfires that threaten their projects and communities, we respond with technical expertise and financial support.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium supports over 100 conservation projects worldwide, which includes contributions to conservation of Australian wildlife through our partnership with the San Diego Zoo, and donations to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and the Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Warriors.
In the dire case involving the bushfires, we have designated $10,000 to date from the Columbus Zoo’s emergency grants fund to donate to Zoos Victoria’s Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund. A broader, collective effort among zoological facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is also underway to support Zoos Victoria. Their director has informed our zoo community that while the fires are currently located a distance away from their zoos, their veterinary teams have been deployed into the fire areas, where they are setting up triage and critical care facilities.
Unfortunately, it’s too early to evaluate the totality of the situation as the director has also stated that the actual fire grounds are still too dangerous for people to enter and find injured animals. However, the Zoos Victoria team is already providing critical care to the many animals brought to them with varying types of injuries. The care will continue for the long-term recovery of Australian wildlife, as even after the fires, surviving animals will likely have little to no food or shelter available to them in their native ranges.
We are extremely grateful for the inquiries we have received from our caring community members who also want to help, and these updates from our partners help us to ensure that our contributions are being made in a responsible manner for our donors, and in a way that will be most effective in making a positive impact during this sad situation.
If you would like to contribute to the Columbus Zoo’s conservation fund to specifically help Australian wildlife affected by the fires, please visit https://give.columbuszoo.org/animalsincrisis.
Thank you for your continued support of protecting wildlife and wild places.
