Wild Bird Society of Tainan director Pan Chih-yuan (潘致遠) on Saturday held an online auction to raise funds the group needs to continue its wild bird rescue mission.
A hornets’ nest and hornets were among the items that were donated for the auction.
The society in 2017 spent between NT$600,000 and NT$700,000 to rescue 1,568 wild birds, Pan said on Monday, adding that last year it rescued approximately 1,800 birds.
Photo courtesy of the Wild Bird Society of Tainan
The society needs NT$750,000 per year to operate, of which NT$250,000 is subsidized by the government, he said, adding that it is up to the group to raise the remaining NT$500,000.
As it has rescued an increasing number of wild birds each year, it is severely short on funds, he said.
The society held an online charity auction for items donated by volunteers and bird lovers, Pan said.
Photo courtesy of the Wild Bird Society of Tainan
A hornets’ nest donated by a volunteer bird rescuer surnamed Lu (陸) was sold for NT$1,000 to a Taichung resident surnamed Tseng (曾), while 60 live wasps were sold for NT$700 to a Tainan bird lover surnamed Tsai (蔡), he said.
Bird rescuer Kao Kang-ming (高康敏) sold a marble owl sculpture to a Pingtung County-based bird lover surnamed Chen (陳) for NT$66,000, significantly more than the starting bid of NT$500, he added.
The society has raised NT$400,000 from donations, so it is NT$100,000 short of its funding goal, Pan said, adding that people interested in helping can donate to the organization until March 19.
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