Trainer Nicole Rosado of Audubon, who was on the Paws staff until December when she was laid off with others, worries about the future for the animals. She returns to work with the animals as a volunteer and her pride is Gaston, the miniature Zebu, who is turning 3 and has been at Paws since he was two days old.Â
UPDATE at 7 pm: "The Sad Story of Sammy the Swan"
Paws Discovery Farm's last day is today and what a goodbye it turned out to be.
As of late morning, the parking lot was filled to capacity and visitors parked on the street to bid farewell to the 180 animals at the 40-year-old Mount Laurel landmark, according to Paisley Pedano, the venue's assistant director.
"There's been a really massive turnout," Pedano said in a telephone interview. That turnout has spilled into social media with more than 5,000 people demanding that Paws be saved.
The Garden State Discovery Museum, a nonprofit based in Cherry Hill, had been running Paws, also a nonprofit, and announced Tuesday it was pulling out after three years of operating the site.
Mount Laurel officials decried the Garden State Discovery Museum's decision to shut down. In a press release, the township said: "Unfortunately, no qualified vendor committed to a long-term plan for operation of PAWS."
Want to sign a petition to save Paws? Click here.
However, Pedano, the assistant director, Wednesday said PAWS founders Dr. Charles and Kate Tweedy had formally proposed a plan to finance the facility through the end of this year. The proposal was rejected by the township because town officials said it wasn't a suitable fit, she said.
70and73.com has reached out to Township Manager Meredith Tomczyk to comment on the Tweedys' plan, but 70and73 has not heard back.
Mount Laurel Township owns the land and buildings and began leasing it to the founding organization for $1 a year. The original PAWS — Preservation and Wildlife Society — was founded by Dr. Charles and Kate Tweedy of Moorestown. With an army of volunteers, the Tweedys renovated the historic farmhouse and opened to the public, charging 50 cents per person.
The centerpiece of the Paws Discovery Farm is the Darnell Homestead Farm, which was built in 1736 and was restored by PAWS volunteers in 1980.
"It's been like an old time barn-raising with so many people going out and scraping, painting and fixing up the house," Kate Tweedy told the Courier-Post in December 1979. The property goes back to John and Hannah Darnell, who acquired it in 1736.
Through the decades, children and children of those children have visited to see the animals and learn about nature. The farm has been a sanctuary for animals, including those rescued around South Jersey and nursed back to health there. Now the township and Paws are trying to find homes for them.
We should "not let this gem dissolve," Pedano said.
