Campaign for Catawba Science Center Animal Care
Tax deductible
700 animals in North Carolina need your help!
Any amount helps – please consider making a donation today to help save the helpless animals of the Catawba Science Center.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the non-profit Catawba Science Center in North Carolina to close its doors for the first time in 40 years. The 35,000-square-foot facility has long been an invaluable local resource for schools, families, and science-lovers of all ages, welcoming more than 100,000 a year. Their saltwater and freshwater aquarium galleries feature a large shark and stingray touch pool, a Coastal Carolina touch pool, and a collection of species found in the Amazon River Basin, as well as additional Central and South American freshwater habitats.
Without emergency funding, the center will be forced to find new homes for their fish, turtles, snakes, sharks, stingrays, reptiles, insects, arachnids, and mammals at other science centers in the USA. Doing so would put the science center at risk of never reopening.
The cost of life-support systems and feeding of their live animals for the next four months is $50,000. 100% of the funds raised here will be spent on necessities of caring for the animals of the Catawba Science Center.
Today, we can access many science resources online, but there remains no substitute for the hands-on and in-person inspiration that comes from meeting animals and seeing science in action. When its doors are open, the Catawba Science Center inspires compassionate connections to wildlife, science-based education, advocacy, and the need for human stewardship for all the living creatures in our world. We ask that you consider a donation of any size to keep the animals in their homes at the Catawba Science Center.
Here are some of the animals you’ll be supporting:
Splash
13 years old
Male Southern Stingray
Found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, down the coast to southeastern Brazil.
Splash is uniquely interactive for a stingray. He gets his name from his penchant for shooting to the surface of his habitat and splashing water out onto nearby guests.
Seymour
26 years old
Male Sulcata (or African spurred) tortoise
Found in desert regions of Northern Africa.
Seymour is is a rescue, and was donated to the science center 10 years ago as a juvenile. He has a knack for waiting until his keepers aren't looking and ramming into them at top speed.
“Toothless" (nickname, name yet to be determined!)
Groundhog (or woodchuck)
Native to many regions of North America
“Toothless” was rescued from an inhumane trap, and had to have surgery to partially reconstruct her snout and remove her front teeth. Her favorite food is anything oat-based: specifically, Cheerios.
The Catawba Science Center does not receive any government support. Throughout its history, the center has charged half of what comparable facilities do, so as to remain accessible locally. The center has always been committed to its community. It runs a small aquaponics system for sustainable food with a local non-profit that supplies homeless shelters, and has a community garden on site to grow food each season, with the nutrients supplied by a fish-run aquaculture greenhouse.
Though many of you are not within splashing distance and have no personal connection to our center, a small donation will go a long way! Thank you for considering our cause during these terrible times.
Any amount helps – please consider making a donation today to help save the helpless animals of the Catawba Science Center.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the non-profit Catawba Science Center in North Carolina to close its doors for the first time in 40 years. The 35,000-square-foot facility has long been an invaluable local resource for schools, families, and science-lovers of all ages, welcoming more than 100,000 a year. Their saltwater and freshwater aquarium galleries feature a large shark and stingray touch pool, a Coastal Carolina touch pool, and a collection of species found in the Amazon River Basin, as well as additional Central and South American freshwater habitats.
Without emergency funding, the center will be forced to find new homes for their fish, turtles, snakes, sharks, stingrays, reptiles, insects, arachnids, and mammals at other science centers in the USA. Doing so would put the science center at risk of never reopening.
The cost of life-support systems and feeding of their live animals for the next four months is $50,000. 100% of the funds raised here will be spent on necessities of caring for the animals of the Catawba Science Center.
Today, we can access many science resources online, but there remains no substitute for the hands-on and in-person inspiration that comes from meeting animals and seeing science in action. When its doors are open, the Catawba Science Center inspires compassionate connections to wildlife, science-based education, advocacy, and the need for human stewardship for all the living creatures in our world. We ask that you consider a donation of any size to keep the animals in their homes at the Catawba Science Center.
Here are some of the animals you’ll be supporting:
Splash
13 years old
Male Southern Stingray
Found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, down the coast to southeastern Brazil.
Splash is uniquely interactive for a stingray. He gets his name from his penchant for shooting to the surface of his habitat and splashing water out onto nearby guests.
Seymour
26 years old
Male Sulcata (or African spurred) tortoise
Found in desert regions of Northern Africa.
Seymour is is a rescue, and was donated to the science center 10 years ago as a juvenile. He has a knack for waiting until his keepers aren't looking and ramming into them at top speed.
“Toothless" (nickname, name yet to be determined!)
Groundhog (or woodchuck)
Native to many regions of North America
“Toothless” was rescued from an inhumane trap, and had to have surgery to partially reconstruct her snout and remove her front teeth. Her favorite food is anything oat-based: specifically, Cheerios.
The Catawba Science Center does not receive any government support. Throughout its history, the center has charged half of what comparable facilities do, so as to remain accessible locally. The center has always been committed to its community. It runs a small aquaponics system for sustainable food with a local non-profit that supplies homeless shelters, and has a community garden on site to grow food each season, with the nutrients supplied by a fish-run aquaculture greenhouse.
Though many of you are not within splashing distance and have no personal connection to our center, a small donation will go a long way! Thank you for considering our cause during these terrible times.
Fundraising team: Catawba Science Center Animal Care (2)
Cody Farthing
Organizer
Hickory, NC
Catawba Science Center, Inc.
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
Casey Farthing
Team member