OTTAWA -- The owner of Little Ray's Nature Centre is calling again for financial support amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In June 2020, owner Paul Goulet put out a call for help to save his business, which cares for hundreds of animals, saying COVID-19 related closures have crippled his income and government support has been lacking.

Little Ray's was able to survive through 2020 but, in a new statement on Tuesday, Goulet said he is once again in dire financial straits. 

"I have dealt with delay after delay waiting for support through the COVID-19 pandemic. I have listened to the Premier of Ontario and the Prime Minister of Canada stress how small business is the backbone of our country yet we have all have watched our small businesses shut their doors for good with limited support that was disproportionate at best," he wrote in a press release. "And now, going into our 10th month with near zero revenue we are at our last week before we need to make a plan to turn over the care of our animals to the province and our current creditors."

The press release linked to a Facebook video in which Goulet stands in a large room surrounded by empty liquor bottles. He explains that he is holding a bottle drive to help cover costs.

"This is us trying to make money, five and ten cents at a time so I can pay my staff and feed my animals," he said. 

Goulet told CTV News he can’t continue to go into debt.

"We can’t continue to borrow money past June. And at that point in time we’re calling the Animal Welfare Services of Ontario, which is under the Solicitor Generals office to say, you guys need to come get these animals. Or you need to take over the care of these animals," he said. "And I don’t like the idea of using the animals in any way as pawns for this. We’re just fighting to be able to continue and do what we’ve done for the last 26 years."

Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA's "Ottawa at Work with Leslie Roberts", Goulet said he takes care of more than 900 animals and is often where the government turns for help.

"I would like to think that the province would step in and do everything they can to place these animals but the reality is we've been the last resort. We've been the people who have taken them when animals were to get euthanized. In the last 15 to 20 years, we have taken in, cared for, and rehomed somewhere in the neighbourhood of six to seven thousand animals," he said.

Goulet is turning again to GoFundMe to help keep his business afloat. He is trying to raise $840,000 to get him through 2021.

The bottle drive will run until Feb. 15. Bottles can be dropped off at 2781 Colonial Road in Sarsfield.