Taronga Zoo’s big cat keepers had the chance to say a big thank you to a Sydney schoolgirl who helped raise more than $500 to support Sumatran Tiger conservation.

Lily Barkway-Jones first learned about the plight of Sumatran Tigers while reading a magazine article with her mum.

“I looked at how many Sumatran Tigers were left in the wild and thought wow that’s not a lot! I asked my mum if I could raise some money to help them and she suggested sponsoring a tiger at Taronga Zoo together with my school friends,” said 8-year-old Lily.

Fewer than 400 Sumatran Tigers are left in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss. Taronga is part of a conservation breeding program for Sumatran Tigers and supports three conservation programs in Indonesia that provide wildlife and habitat protection for the critically endangered species.

To raise funds to support these programs, Lily and her friends decided to organise a Pyjama Day at their school with the support of their teachers and Principal.

“If you wore your pyjamas you donated $4 and if you had crazy hair or brought a stuffed toy animal you donated $1,” explained Lily.

Lily even did her own publicity for the event, designing three posters and arranging a notice in the school bulletin. The results were amazing!

“We aimed to raise $150 and actually just my class alone raised that much! The whole school together raised $509.60,” said Lily.

Taronga’s tiger keepers were able to say thank you in person when Lily and her mum visited the zoo last month. Lily also met Taronga’s male Sumatran Tiger, Satu.

“Being up close to Satu was such a privilege,” said Lily.

You can help secure a future for endangered and critically endangered species by fundraising for Taronga. Check out our community fundraising kit for more info: https://taronga.org.au/how-you-can-help/fundraising/fundraise-for-taronga