Oregon Primate Rescue Receives Much Needed Funding From PETCO Foundation

Oregon Primate Rescue, located in Dallas, will use the money to finish expansion of an enclosure area for its most recent rescue of a Patas monkey.

Photo courtesy: Oregon Primate Rescue

(DALLAS) - The PETCO Foundation’s annual Spring-A-Pet, which ended April 16, exceeded $1.7 million in donations.

Throughout the 4-week fundraiser, customers visiting one of PETCO’s more than 790 stores could purchase “Spring-A-Pet’ donation cards in denominations of $1, $5, $10 and $20, or round up their purchase. Donors of $20 or more received a “Making a Difference” picture frame.

Each PETCO store selected an animal welfare group that celebrates the human-animal bond, and then collected donations on that organizations behalf.

This year, Oregon Primate Rescue partnered with the PETCO store at 628 Lancaster Dr NE in Salem.

“I am very proud that we are able to assist approximately 1,000 animal welfare organizations across the country this year,” said Paul Jolly, Foundation Director and Vice President.

“There are thousands of animals across the country that will benefit from the generosity of our customers. We’re deeply grateful to be able to organize and distribute this collection effort each year on behalf of all those animals that depend on us for their well-being.”

How the Money Makes a Difference:

Local proceeds from Spring-A-Pet 2006 will be used by Oregon Primate Rescue to finish expansion of an enclosure area for its most recent rescue of a Patas monkey and to help pay for medical care for its other primates.

“We are so grateful for the caring PETCO Foundation and from those customers who generously contributed to this worthwhile fundraising event,” said Polly Schultz, Founder and CEO of Oregon Primate Rescue.

“Caring for non-human primates in any captive environment is difficult and costly, especially with those who arrive with a myriad of medical and psychosocial issues.”

About Oregon Primate Rescue:

OPR is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 organization that was established in 1998.

The mission of OPR is to provide lifetime care in a humane and enriching environment to unwanted, orphaned or crippled monkeys that originate from private owners, from government agencies, and to those retiring from a life of research.

OPR raises awareness of the complexities involved in keeping primates as pets, and to discuss adult or abhorrent behaviors caused by various aspects of captive life, in hopes of reducing the number of unwanted primates in the private sector.

OPR stresses the importance of preserving wildlife habitat, and how human encroachment affects primate species in the wild.

OPR offers health, diet, enrichment and management information to all who care for captive primates, to promote humane conditions for primates maintained in all captive environments.

OPR is licensed with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), registered with the Oregon Department of Justice, the Oregon Secretary of State, and is a member of the Dallas area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Oregon Primate Rescue visit their website at www.oregonprimaterescue.com