The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center raised over $30,000 in less than two days to rebuild an animal shelter after it was destroyed by high winds Monday. No animals were harmed.
The facility cares for injured and orphaned animals from across the state, like bison, caribou and muskox.
The Sitka black-tailed deer shelter was demolished by a windstorm that swept through much of Southcentral Alaska Monday. Wind gusts in the Portage area peaked at 82 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The center, about an hour south of Anchorage, launched a fundraiser Wednesday to raise $30,000 to rebuild the shelter, and they exceeded their goal in about 36 hours. The executive director, Sarah Howard, said she was blown away by the support.
“Just super gracious for everyone's support in the help that we're now going to be able to immediately start building on Monday,” Howard said.
Nearly $32,000 had been raised by Friday afternoon.
Photos posted by the facility Wednesday show the shelter’s roof completely detached and its walls scattered across the enclosure. The shelter is used during harsh weather, feeding, and as a recovery area for deer after medical procedures.
There are five deer at the center, and they’re known as the friendliest animals at the facility. Howard said the Sitka-deer have been on alert since the windstorm and have been hanging out in the back of their enclosure.
“They’re some of the friendliest animals we have on the property, but they're also very aware of their surroundings,” she said. “I'm sure when this building started to creak and crack, that probably freaked them out quite a bit.”
There are an estimated 200,000 of the species in Alaska, concentrated in Southeast Alaska. It’s the most-hunted big game species in the region, according to Fish and Game. The average life-span of a Sitka black-tail is between 10 and 15 years.
