18 Jul 2018

Busy Wildlife Hospital wrestles with long term funding

From Nine To Noon, 9:38 am on 18 July 2018

Dunedin's Wildlife Hospital says the issue of its long term funding must be addressed. The Wildlife Hospital, based at Otago Polytechnic is the only facility of its kind in the South Island, and treats a wide variety of animals, including native birds, penguins, seals, and sea lions.Before it opened, in January of this year, endangered species were flown to the North Island for treatment, impacting significantly on survival rates. Currently, in addition to public donations keeping the hospital up and running - the Dunedin City Council has committed to supporting it  for three years. But the Otago Regional Council has decided not to give it any additional funding through its long term plan. Jordana Whyte the Wildlife Hospital Trust 's secretary