'Duckman' gives $25k to wildlife hospital expansion

massey-university

Tue Apr 15 2014 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

'Duckman' gives $25k to wildlife hospital expansion

Tuesday, 15 April 2014, 5:17 pm
Press Release: Massey University

Tuesday, April 15, 2014
'Duckman' gives $25k to wildlife hospital expansion

A Wellington businessman who featured on Television One News' Good Sorts segment on Sunday has donated $25,000 towards the expansion of the Wildbase wildlife hospital at Massey University's Manawatū campus.

Craig Shepherd, the managing director of Harbour City Security, is known as the Duckman because he provides sanctuary for hundreds of ducks on his Ohariu Valley property.

Wildbase treats and rehabilitates sick and injured native animals and is also a teaching and research facility for students at the university's Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Mr Shepherd has had an eight-year association as a supporter and collaborator with Wildbase. He completed the Oiled Wildlife Responders course and helped the Wildbase team care for wildlife affected by the Rena oil spill off the Tauranga coast in 2011 and 2012.

Mr Shepherd says the first-hand experience spurred him to donate financially. “Working with Wildbase at the Rena disaster, I saw how valuable this unique resource is to New Zealand’s wildlife. I have spent time training in their extremely cramped facilities and I jumped at the opportunity to help out and raise money for their desperately-needed new facilities.”

Wildbase director Associate Professor Brett Gartrell welcomed the donation and urged others to consider providing support for a plan to build bigger, better facilities. “We urgently need more donations like Craig’s to enable us to continue providing high quality medical and surgical care to New Zealand’s threatened wildlife,” Dr Gartrell says.

To learn more about Wildbase or donate please visit wildbase.massey.ac.nz

ENDS

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