Feathers fly over penguin fundraiser
Some Victor Harbor locals feel shortchanged after donating thousands of dollars to a fundraiser they thought was saving penguins near their town.
Organisers hope to use the money for research, but cannot say if it will be sent on Granite Island.
There are barely any little penguins left on Granite Island, so a recent fundraiser prompted locals to open their hearts and wallets.
The special charity dinner organised by the mayor generated more than $9000, and donation boxes are still scattered around the town.
The trouble is, mayor Graham Philip cannot pinpoint exactly where the money is going.
“The money is going to go to research for penguins,” he said.
“Kangaroo Island is also having issues.”
‘Penguin research’ was mentioned on the invite, but it is no consolation for some locals.
They thought their cash would go directly to the penguin centre on Granite Island, where staff are being forced to destroy eggs.
Staff there have been battling for money for a new pond to house more penguins, but couldn’t speak to 7News today, claiming they had been gagged.
A committee has been formed to determine the best spending options.
The money could be used to fund research through Adelaide universities.
“It would just be nice if someone actually looked a bit closer to home and what was happening there as opposed to thinking ‘oh penguin numbers are dropping, lets go all the way to Adealdie to do something about it,” former penguin volunteer Jeni Price said.
For now, the funds remain in the Lions Club trust account.
