ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — It’s Giving Tuesday, a time to share some Christmas kindness to non-profit organizations that survive off of donations.
Every act of kindness counts, especially Zoomagination, a wildlife outreach rescue, hit hard during the COVID pandemic.
The non-profit rescue started 14 years ago with just four creatures and has since grown to 30.
On Tuesday, San Antonio College hosted two of those animals in the courtyard of the student center. Two reindeer, Noel and Jingle, posed for photos behind their pen, bringing smiles to families and students.
“They literally made my day 100 percent,” said San Antonio College student Bella Chamberlain.
Noel and Jingle are part of the wildlife menagerie at Zoomagination, joining other reptiles, birds, and mammals.
“Most of our animals are rescued animals, exotic animals that were once pets, that were surrendered. Others just had to be rehomed and for different reasons or the other,” said Zoomagination co-founder Robert Trejo.
Trejo said they also get calls from Texas Parks and Wildlife and take in animals that were injured and cannot be released back into the wild.
“We have the time, the space and the resources, then we will provide a forever home for them,” said Trejo.
Trejo said they are strictly an educational program.
“We like to teach kids and people of all ages about all kinds of animals, wildlife in general. We talk about responsible pet ownership, conservation,” said Trejo.
Trejo and his team visit schools and other events with the animals, and the funds raised from the programs goes toward caring for the animals.
When the pandemic shut down schools, parties, and social events, Zoomagination was hit hard, Trejo said they are still feeling the impact.
“That's how we generate our funds for the animals, and so since everybody was closed, that was a very hard time for us,” said Trejo.
Trejo is hopeful and hasn’t slowed down his mission, or his passion for helping animals.
“There's really, really not a day off, but it's you know, how they say ‘when you love what you do is really not work,’” said Trejo.
If you’d like to make a donation to Zoomagination, visit their website at zoomagination.com.