Hope for Wildlife scans security footage after burglars steal $1K

Thieves used a crowbar to break into Hope for Wildlife some time late Thursday or early Friday, stealing money and damaging property.

Founder Hope Swinimer lives on the property where the wildlife rescue centre is located in Seaforth, N.S., but didn't hear the robbers.

A team member arriving at 7 a.m. Friday found the front door to the learning centre swinging open.

"It's a big steel door, so it was doing considerable damage to the outside of the building," Swinimer told CBC News. "She rushed in to get the animals, because that building is where we keep a lot of our education animals that are sensitive to the cold."

The snakes, reptiles, frogs, turtles, sugar gliders and other critters that need heat had not escaped and while chilly, were not harmed. "If it had been much longer, I think we would have lost a few."

$1,500 in damages to property

They soon realized they had lost a secured donation jar containing about $1,000. The money comes in small donations from visitors and would have bought food for the animals.

"It's a lot of money for a small charity such as ours — and probably another $1,500 to repair the building and the door," she said. "The good news is the animals were good. And the other bit of good news is we do have a really good camera system. We're digging through the files now and the police are waiting to get them."

It's the first time Hope for Wildlife has been robbed in the roughly 17 years it's been based on the property.

RCMP are investigating the crime.