Cherry Brook Zoo pulls through 'critical' winter

Saint John's Cherry Brook Zoo has seen a wave of good fortune since February, when a philanthropic group bestowed $21,500 on it.

The 100 Women Who Care donated the money after a five-minute presentation by the zoo. The gift triggered a boost in fundraising, with an additional $17,500 coming in from various groups, according to zoo director Martha McDevitt.

"It was the springboard for other companies and community groups to come forward with their own initiatives in helping the zoo," McDevitt said. "We had NBCC and the university, even call centres, to companies from outlying areas to Quispamsis, and then a lot of private donations."

The zoo's funding from the City of Saint John was reduced in 2017 from $50,000 to $10,000, which was enough to cover the property tax bill but did not help with any operating costs.

With the donations this year totalling $39,000, the zoo almost has what it would have received in municipal funding.

100 Women Who Care

The 100 Women Who care meet four times a year. Each member donates $100 when she attends a meeting, and has a chance to vote on one of three non-profit groups that make their case for funding. The non-profit with the most votes walks away with a cheque and returns at the next meeting to show what it has done with the money.

This week, McDevitt presented a summary of the zoo's use of the group's donation since February. Beyond the money, she said, the zoo has received a lot of help by way of manpower in the last few months.

"People have come in since 100 Women Who Care," McDevitt said. "It was almost like a voice for us. People that may not have even known the zoo was open in the winter, or people that didn't even know we had a zoo in our city. It was just like that publicity and that giving put us in the spotlight a little bit, which made people go 'Oh, I want to help too.'"

The zoo was also granted $2,500 in the city's second round of community grants for Canada 150-related activities.

New purchases

The zoo was able to purchase ferrets, which are primarily used for outreach programs, such as presentations in schools. The zoo added a boa constrictor to the reptile house as well

It was a really critical time for us.- Martha McDevitt, zoo director

A staff member was also added who assists at the zoo's retail desk.

Expansions to the zoo using the donated funds include the finalization of a new mini-putt course and the updating of the reptile house. The money also went into operating costs such as buying food, McDevitt said.

"It was a really critical time for us," she said. "It was our winter season, we were struggling from what had happened last July. … It was wanting to get the community involved in this. It's not just us, and our staff. It's about these animals that don't have a voice, and we are the voice, and we are the community that can help."

Last July, Cherry Brook Zoo's then-chief administrative director,Leonard Collrin, was evicted from his home on the property. He has lived there with his wife since 1979.

Collrin has since filed a wrongful dismissal suit. The zoo, in its statement of defence claimed Collrin and his wife "knowingly submitted expense reports for charges and cash advances on their credit cards for purchases that were not reimbursable expenses."

Cherry Brook Zoo's lawyer has not responded to a request for comment about the lawsuit.