Victoria’s iconic Beacon Hill petting zoo has reached out to the community for help in continuing to provide for the farm’s many animals amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The popular attraction has launched a GoFundMe page, specifically to aid in covering the costs of continued care necessary for the farm’s animals.
The Beacon Hill Children’s Farm, when open, doesn’t charge an entry fee but instead asks for donations only.
Not only is the donation money used to care for the animals, it also goes towards repairs and improvements on the property.
On their GoFundMe page, the farm says in their off-season this year they used funds to build a new roof and repaint many buildings.
“With the arrival of the coronavirus and the closure of the farm, the farm is suddenly cut off from our only source of income that we desperately need to keep on providing for the animals,” said the page.
“The farm closed less than a week after it opened to do our part in helping to lower the risk of spreading the virus. This is a situation that has never arisen in the past 35 years of operation.”
The petting zoo is now relying on online donations, and many animals including goats, alpacas, ducks, and pigs are being cared for by staff behind closed doors.
The GoFundMe has already surpassed their goal of $6000, and the farm was able to raise nearly $4500 in the first 14 hours of fundraiser’s launch.
There currently is no timeline on when the farm will reopen, as they continue to adhere to the province’s guidelines.
You can donate to the Beacon Hill petting zoo’s GoFundMe here.
