The Park of Friendship has again been targeted by ruthless and sickening individuals as animals, which are used for therapeutic purposes to offer disabled children a little joy in their lives, were stolen from the wildlife enclosure.
Not only were various animals stolen, but the despicable perpetrators killed a deer. Fund Raising manager Gordon Pace said the thieves probably tried to steal the animal and injured it in the process. “A vet examined the deer and one of its legs was dislocated. We presume that they tried to steal it and that it began to make noise when it got injured, so they simply killed it,” he said.
The Park of Friendship was only recently targeted by robbers who made off with about Lm5,000. This latest act took place during the night between Sunday and Monday. “We have valued the stolen animals at about Lm1,300, but it’s not the money factor at stake here. Those animals are specially trained for therapeutic purposes. They were not there for show, they were there to allow disabled children to experience a little bit of joy in petting them,” he said.
He continued: “More than angry, we feel hurt. Those animals were not stolen from the park, they were stolen from children.” Mr Pace said that in total, four mountain goats, three barn owls, two golden pheasants, one Amazon parrot, a baby deer and a monkey were stolen.
The matter has of course been reported to the police, and Mr Pace believes it was a planned raid. “They entered from fields at the back of the enclosure and cut down barbed wire fencing. They then also damaged a gate which allows vehicles through, so we think that some form of van was used to transport the animals out of here,” he said.
He added that this year, the park was also set to open its doors to school children on a wider level. “But obviously, that doesn’t now look like it’s happening any time soon. What a heinous crime. I cannot even begin to imagine why someone would do such a thing. I repeat, those animals are for disabled children,” he said.
Mr Pace put out a heartfelt appeal to the public. “If anyone can help us, if you have any information at all, please call us on 2163-6526,” he said.
Members of the public can also call the police on 119 to submit information anonymously.