CAPE CORAL, Fla -- When it comes to Protecting Paradise, local nonprofits who work to do just that are having to adapt to keep their missions alive during COVID-19.
That includes organizations like Kowiachobee Animal Preserve in Golden Gate Estates. The nonprofit is dedicated to educating our community on conservation and sustainability issues, especially when it comes to animals. Including raising public awareness about the steady decline in certain species. It's also a sanctuary for hurt or distressed animals.
Fox 4 spoke with the organization's director of operations who explained the impact COVID-19 restrictions have had on what they do.
“The whole thing that we do here depends on being able to visit people or have them visit us, and being able to talk about what the problems are and what some of the solutions are,” said Director of Operations Jonathan Slaby.
Places like schools, summer camps and libraries where he would normally do that have been shut down or operating at low capacity due to COVID. So they've had to get creative, and have turned to social media to keep those efforts alive.
However, donations have also been down during the pandemic.
"Even though you can survive not doing stuff, you can't survive financially with the overhead of taking care of all the animals without the money coming in," said Slaby.
He said they need your help to keep Protecting Paradise! Learn more about the organization and how to help here.
