A surprise DKK 60m donation is making life easier for the director of the Copenhagen Zoo, B.T. newspaper reported on Tuesday.
'I am simply so happy on behalf of the zoo - and extremely grateful,' said Lars Lunding Andersen, the director of the zoo. 'We've had to work hard for years to obtain funds for new investments and out of the blue this lands in our pockets.'
The gift would be used to purchase three new rhinoceroses and build a completely new 15,000 sq. metre facility that includes a recreation of an African savannah.
Last year, 1.2 million people passed through the park's turnstiles, and the arrival of the rhinos could mean an additional increase of visitors.
The couple that offered the gift, Otto and Annie Detlef, tried to maintain a low profile, but word soon got out of their gift to the zoo.
'I can confirm that we are the donors, but we don't want a great deal of commotion about it,' the couple said. 'We know that the zoo makes a lot of people happy, not least of all children, so it wasn't a difficult decision to make.'
The couple, who are also known for being generous patrons of the arts, didn't have a hard time choosing which animal to buy, either.
'The rhino is a fun animal. One second it's lazing about in the sun. The next it's charging across the savannah,' they said.
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Now ain't that just great!
Donating 60 million DKR ($9.7M,
Bar by Mees
