UPDATE: Thank you so much to everyone who donated on Giving Tuesday Now! Between Facebook, our website, and other donations we received, we were able to raise over $100 million to put towards the care of our animals. We appreciate your support so much, especially during these historic times!

ORIGINAL: #GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity taking place today on May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

As a non-profit organization, Chicago Zoological Society relies on ticket sales, zoo visits, memberships, education program fees, donations, and meeting revenue to operate. Since closing our gates, the effects of the pandemic have had a significant impact on our overall operating budget.

One of our largest expenses, which cannot be reduced, is the daily care and feeding of our animals. It costs roughly $41,000 per day for all of the 2,500+ animals under our care, which includes purchasing and preparing food, quality testing for food, daily habitat cleaning, training to assist in daily care, and veterinary care.<

Our goal for #GivingTuesdayNow is to raise $30,000 in our one-day Facebook Fundraiser. Along with that, a generous donor has agreed to match whatever we raise, up to $30,000! That means if we can hit our donation goal, we'll have raised $60,000 on the day, which will provide care and feeding for all of our animals for a full day.

One day's worth of care and feeding may not sound like much, but we consider it a great example of how our members, guests, and supporters can directly impact the animals, even while you're unable to be here with them.

Our Animal Care Staff continues to work tirelessly to keep our animals in the best possible health. Please consider making a gift today that will immediately support our animal care and welfare programs, as well as, other critical operations of the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo. Your contribution is so important and will be used in the area of greatest need at the zoo during this uncharted and challenging time.

If you don't have a Facebook account, you can also make a donation directly on our website as well. Thank you for your support!

Don't miss the next blog post from Chicago Zoological Society. Sign up for the Brookfield Zoo email newsletter and receive regular updates and special offers direct to your inbox!