Zoo staff collect all coins from the wishing pond and donate them to the girl, a frequent visitor, after she was diagnosed with cancer.
A wildlife zoo in Nantong, eastern China, refunded a young family's annual pass and donated over 60,000 yuan (US$8,358) — including coins collected from its wishing pond — after learning that a 2-year-old girl, a frequent visitor, had been diagnosed with a rare cancer.
The girl’s mother, surnamed Huang, made an emotional call to Nantong Forest Wildlife Zoo on July 9, explaining that her daughter had recently been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. The family, now facing overwhelming medical bills, hoped the zoo would consider refunding the annual pass purchased in April, Yangtze Evening News has reported.
In just two months, the girl had visited the zoo five times, and each visit had brought her great joy, Huang said. “Now, every cent has to go toward her treatment,” she told the newspaper.
Moved by the family’s situation, the zoo not only agreed to a full refund but also allowed the family to retain their membership benefits. In addition, the zoo’s parent company, Sendi Cultural Tourism Group, donated 50,000 yuan to support the child’s treatment.
Zoo staff also collected coins from the zoo’s wishing pond, gathering over 12,000 yuan in additional donations after more than 20 hours of counting under the summer heat.
According to the family, the girl requires 12 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, with an estimated 300,000 yuan needed for continued treatment.
Following the zoo’s generous gesture, the story drew widespread public attention, and by July 17, more than 20,000 yuan in donations had been raised from kindhearted individuals across the country.
The zoo donates over 60,000 yuan to the girl.