The bird lover's association Olching, which runs the bird park, is financially at its limit due to Corona and is asking the city for a grant of 10,500 euros.
Olching - “The situation is tense.
We currently live from hand to mouth, ”says board member Daniela Kuchenbaur.
Something unforeseen like storm damage or a flood shouldn't happen.
Thousands of euros lost due to closure
There are no serious restrictions in the bird park, as everything takes place outdoors.
“Currently 65 visitors are allowed in at the same time.
But there are seldom more, even in normal times, ”says Kuchenbaur.
However, the association is still suffering extremely from the fact that the park had to remain closed in April and early May.
There is always a lot going on, especially during the Easter holidays.
"Because of the closure, we lost thousands of euros this year, which we can no longer recover," explains Kuchenbaur.
On the Easter weekends alone, the association has received 5500 euros each in recent years.
In addition, the number of visitors is still at a lower level than in normal years - an estimated 30 percent less.
“Usually grandparents come with their grandchildren on weekends, but the elderly don't dare to go out in public anymore.
And many other people stay at home because they are afraid of being infected, ”says the chairwoman of the bird lovers' association.
Animals cannot be handed in
However, the expenses remain the same.
The association has to finance the feed for around 600 birds, the monthly vet visit and three 450 euro workers.
There are also electricity and water costs.
"If some of the association members hadn't taken their own money into their own hands and supported us, we wouldn't have been able to pay for the food." In the meantime, however, the small reserve of the non-profit association has been used up.
Selling or giving away some birds in order to save feed costs is also currently difficult.
“The zoos and the other parks are not doing well either.
For example, they would not be able to take our parrots from us if we could no longer care for them, ”says Kuchenbaur.
So she's now hoping for the city.
The administration had proposed to the main committee to pay a subsidy of around 7,900 euros due to the corona.
As early as June, the committee decided that the city could support non-profit associations in the event of a pandemic-related shortfall in income.
The committee decided to obtain more detailed information about the financial situation of the association and postponed a decision for the time being.
