Otago Polytechnic continues its strong support for the Wildlife Hospital, donating $10,000 to the Dunedin facility yesterday.

The donation is timely, too. Saturday (3 March) marks World Wildlife Day.

Steve Walker, co-chair of the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital Trust, thanked Otago Polytechnic for its ongoing support of the facility, which opened its doors on January 15.

“This kind donation only goes to strengthen an already strong and well-functioning partnership.

“March 3 is World Wildlife Day, which celebrates and raises awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. Therefore, in light of all of our locally threatened species, this cheque presentation is very timely indeed!

“The hospital has truly captured the public’s imagination and shown how much we all treasure and love our unique native species.

“However, the hospital’s own survival depends on the continued goodwill and generosity of the public and local businesses. It costs around $300k per annum to run the hospital, so this wonderful gesture goes some way to denting that total.

“Due to how busy the hospital has been we have had to employ another vet nurse recently, therefore this will be used to help pay for that recent appointment and I imagine a large basket of other on-going day-to-day expenses.

“The hospital has taken in more than 100 patients since opening, which already makes us busier than any other wildlife hospital in New Zealand. And with public awareness now beginning to ramp up we are only going to get very much busier!”

Jo Brady, Otago Polytechnic Deputy Chief Executive, People, Performance and Development, says the donation reaffirms the institution’s support for the Wildlife Hospital.

“We are pleased that we can further build on our commitment to the hospital.

“It is essential that we can treat species that otherwise might not receive medical care so we preserve future generations of wildlife for our future generations”.

The $10,000 donation is a result of Otago Polytechnic’s Million Dollar Dinner, held late last year, which raised $30,000 for local charities, including United Way, which distributes donations to Otago community charities on Otago Polytechnic’s behalf.

Read more about the Wildlife Hospital


Published on 1 Mar 2018

Orderdate: 1 Mar 2018
Expiry: 30 Nov 2018