12 October 2012

Public Help Urgently Needed To Find Whale-Rescue Trailer

The lead up to the festive season is often a prime time for thieves – and Project Jonah New Zealand suffered a great loss today (Friday 12 October) when a box trailer was discovered stolen from its rooftop car park in Mt Eden, Auckland. Public help is urgently needed to recover the trailer, which is invaluable to the organisation and less than a month old.

Project Jonah is a registered charity that exists to help marine mammals including dolphins and whales. The trailer is one of four used to transport equipment to sites around New Zealand during whale stranding emergencies. Project Jonah relies on goodwill, donations and volunteers to be able to continue its work, “doing a lot with a little”, not to mention relying on the passion and drive of Kiwis who want to make a difference to the lives of marine mammals.

As CEO Kimberly Muncaster explains, “We’re a small charity and we struggle to do the work we do with the money we have. This is a double blow as we’re just coming into the stranding season and need fully-equipped rescue trailers around the country so we can respond quickly to stranding emergencies. This trailer was earmarked for Tauranga to cover the Bay of Plenty region. We’re just devastated; this is a major setback.”

The trailer, discovered missing at 9am this morning, was kept on Project Jonah’s rooftop car park on Dominion Road, Mt Eden, Auckland, and had a wheel clamp on it, as well as a hitch lock. It had not yet been insured as the organisation was in the process of negotiating an insurance policy. The police have been notified and have put out an alert.

Please find the photograph of the stolen trailer attached. Note the Project Jonah New Zealand logo and the distinctive blue and orange markings. The text reads “Whale and rescue training” and “Saving whales since 1974.”

Registration no: T778Z
VIN/Chassis no: J12241

Project Jonah needs your help, and urges all members of the public to keep their eyes and ears open and hastily report any information that could lead to the recovery of the trailer.

To note: a Project Jonah trailer will be on the road this weekend as part of a scheduled whale rescue training exercise in Mission Bay, Auckland. If you are able to, please verify the stolen trailer’s registration number before making a report.

Sightings or information: Please call Mount Eden police station as soon as you can.
Tel: 09 302 6400 or report the sighting to any police station’s Crime Reporting Line.

If you would like to make a donation to Project Jonah go to www.projectjonah.org.nz

Project Jonah has been saving whales since 1974. They work closely with the Department of Conservation, the government agency responsible for managing strandings in New Zealand and rely on volunteers and donations to carry out their life saving work.

www.facebook.com/projectjonah

ENDS

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