Coronavirus: Zoo fears for future over £30k GoFundMe delay
Zoo bosses fear for their business's future after £30,000 of GoFundMe donations intended to help it through the coronavirus lockdown were withheld.
Almost 1,000 people have pledged money to help Northumberland Country Zoo pay its 10 keepers and meet the cost of caring for 400 animals. It has been struggling to access the money for about 10 days. GoFundMe said there had been a "technical issue" and added it was working to get the donations released. The zoo's appeal on the funding website was launched on 2 April and two initial withdrawals for a few hundred pounds were processed before a request to take out £17,000 was withheld. The family-run firm, based near Morpeth, was then told further identification checks were needed. 'Six weeks' funding' Despite providing bank account details and ID on "several" occasions, curator Maxine Bradley said the zoo was unable to access more than £28,000. "People have been so generous, but we can't get hold of their donations," she said. "We were closed over Easter, which would've been our busiest time of the year. Thirty-thousand pounds would keep us going for another six weeks." The fundraising website states appeals will be paused if withdrawal information is not verified within 30 days of receiving the first donation. Should the process not be completed in 90 days, all money will be returned to donors. GoFundMe said "a huge increase in the number of campaigns" has led to some payment delays. "In this case the processor has taken longer than usual to verify their documents, which is a technical issue and we're working with them to fix it. "We are working with the payment processor to get these funds released as soon as possible. "In the meantime, we can assure the zoo and its generous donors that donations won't be refunded and will get to the zoo." Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.