Last Monday could have been a sad day for many, but thanks to an overwhelming amount of good people, it turned out not to be.

On Monday, at about 8 o’clock in the morning, a terrible and unexplainable act of vandalism was discovered at Inspire’s Animal Park in Marsascala, (traditionally known as Razzett tal-Hbiberija).

That morning, when the Inspire volunteer who visits the park daily to feed the animals walked into the park, he found that the place had been broken into, doors had been kicked in, glass had been broken to shreds, and large volumes of paint was strewn all over the place.

The volunteer’s first concern was of course for the animals, but thankfully none of them had been harmed or stolen.

Inspire’s animal park survives exclusively on public donations and the team’s fundraising efforts. It is not only a safe haven for unwanted pets and abandoned animals which range from deer to emus and from rabbits to owls, but most importantly, the park also provides effective and much needed therapeutic and leisure services to children with various disabilities.

Why anyone would commit such random and pointless acts of vandalism, is a question we’ll probably never get answers for, but as the saying goes – ‘all’s well that ends well,’ and this experience is probably the closest I ever got to living this old adage.

Whilst Inspire’s management team, staff and, volunteers were still trying to figure out had happened, and whilst the police where still on their way to carry out their investigations, Inspire’s phones started ringing off the hook, Facebook messages started pouring in with hundreds of people not only wanting to show their solidarity and concern but who had already rolled up their sleeves and were ready to get in there to fix the place and make things right again.

Within minutes of the story hitting the media, people from all walks of life were generously offering their time and energy in order to get things sorted – from inmates of the Corradino correctional facilities, to members of the Marsascala local council, from football teams, to the Kilmanjaro climbers, from private companies to busy individuals - all decided to put their shock and anger to good use either by donating money or offering their time to restore the place.

The Alf Mizzi Foundation very generously donated €3000 towards the park’s upkeep and operations, Sigma Coatings Malta offered all the necessary paint required to fix the walls and the damaged areas, and Alberta offered free CCTV cameras in order to avoid the same thing from happening again, and most importantly to keep the animals more secure.

I guess the morale of the story is that crazy things happen and that we’ll always have to put up with bad and bored people, but awesome things also happen when people come together to pull the same rope for a good cause.

Inspire’s Animal Park is now well on its way to recovery and thanks to so many people who came together in one huge inimitable force, the park should be reopened by next Monday.

Anyone wishing to lend a helping hand can send an email to events@inspire.org.mt or send a donation with the word ‘PARK’ on the following numbers: €2.33 – 50617359 | €4.66 – 50618080 | €6.99 – 50618962 | €11.65 - 50619215