Nanjingers have these past few days responded in kind to a plea from our city’s zoo to assist in addressing the financial difficulty it faces at present, as another institutional victim of COVID. And nothing will stop them in their mission to save the zoo.
As last week came to a close, the local internet became abuzz with the shocking situation that presently exists at Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo. Due to the enormous decline in visitor numbers in 2020, authorities at the zoo have had to take the decision to prioritise the animals in their keep. As such, the zoo’s animals remain well but many of the people who work there have had to go without part of their salary.
With the zoo as a mainstay of culture of Nanjing and its future very much uncertain, so the response of locals to adopt animals therein has been unprecedented, reports Nanjing Headlines (南京头条).
Among younger locals that is. Until the turn of the century, most of the zoo’s were actually to be found in Xuanwu Lake Park. There was in fact so little to recommend Hongshan at the time that other zoos would not bother to visit because there was nothing for them to learn.
That all changed in recent years, and the welfare of the zoo’s animals has been much improved.
As elsewhere, it is hardly surprising that Hongshan holds a special place in the hearts of many. Nanjing local, Wu Tianhao, was a regular visitor in his youth. Wu talked with The Nanjinger, saying, “My wife and I were born in the same year in 1988; this means Hongshan Zoo played an inalienable part of us growing up. This zoo has been a landmark in our mind, so intense that it becomes the epitome of our childhood memory; hanging out with same-age pals to visit our friends in the north of the city.
“We remember the location of the nearest bus station, and some of the names of adorable animals. I recall when a chimpanzee passed away 2-3 years ago, a lot of us people weeped.”
As just one of many determined to assist, Wu has adopted a little giraffe in the name of his family.
How to adopt an animal at Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo?
The animals up for adoption now comprise panda, ring-tailed lemur, hornbill, fine-tailed mongoose, siberian tiger, leopard, lynx, ocelot, giraffe, koala, elephant, orangutan, chimpanzee, gibbon, Sichuan golden monkey, hippo, crowned crane and red-crowned crane, red-handed tamarin and golden-headed lion tamarin.
There are two types of adoption packages available; one for individuals/families and another for schools, classes therein or enterprises and other institutions.
After consultation and discussion, an adoption agreement shall be signed and the adoption fee paid. Confirmation that the animal(s) are indeed in the zoo shall be provided to the adopter, along with an honorary adoption certificate. Should the adopted animal(s) be unnamed, adopters have priority in naming.
Individual/family adopters also receive a “love card”, 1 year’s free admission, two feeding and management experiences and two reports of their adopted animal’s condition.
Schools etc. can attend an adoption ceremony and receive an exhibition-area listing or a one-off popular science class in the zoo’s campus, plus other benefits.
The adoption procedure is being handled by the zoo’s Publicity and Education Department, located on the second floor of the Customer Service Centre at the North Gate of Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo.
Those interested in adopting an animal may also contact the zoo on (025) 68150268.
