Donation handed over to Fowzie:

From Vienna Zoo with love
 

BY FLORENCE Wickramage

EMPLOYEES of the National Zoological Gardens of Vienna, Austria have donated Rs. three million for employees of the Wildlife Conservation Department affected by the tsunami. The money was collected on the initiative of its Deputy Chairman Harold Soma.

At a simple ceremony at the National Zoological Gardens, Dehiwela, the Deputy Chairman's wife Gamil, handed over the donation to Environment and Natural Resources Minister A. H. M. Fowzie to be distributed among the affected officers and their families.

Out of the donation, Rs. 50,000 was handed over to each of the families of the casual employees of the Yala National Park who died when the tsunami tidal waves hit the Patanangala area of the park.

Rs. three lakhs was handed over to each of the employees whose houses were destroyed by the tsunami tidal waves. In addition Rs. one lakh each was handed over to each of the permanent employees of the department whose dwelling houses were partly damaged in the disaster.

Soma assured Fowzie that her country was willing to assist other sectors of Sri Lanka affected by the tsunami. Fowzie acknowledging the donation, thanked Vienna Zoo employees for their generosity and also mentioned that they had on an earlier occasion provided a consignment of medical equipment to the Dehiwela Zoo.

Wildlife Conservation Department Director General Dayananda Kariyawasam and Zoological Gardens, Director Brigadier H. A. N. T. Perera were also present.