DEW Haven DEW Haven | Maine's Best Zoo? - News/Discussion

Valentinoamor

Valentinoamor

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
After watching Animal Planet's "Yankee Jungle" back in 2014, I had been enchanted by this rustic, backwoods facility that was home to many different species of wild, exotic, and domestic animals. However, after growing up and learning about all of the different scandals and claims that had been cast against the facility, I discovered that they were not the "cute little family-owned facility" that I thought they were.

However, within the last few months, I have been keeping up with the DEW Haven on TikTok and I have noticed that their facility is MUCH better than it was back in the day. They appear to be renovating their enclosures, which makes them much more visually appealing. (I think one of their daughters has taken over the facility, which may be why they are making so many changes, or she may just be in charge of their social media.)
 
Based on photos, I think it's a stretch to call it the best, but now it's more on par with the other options in the state.

Zoos
DEW Haven, Mount Vernon
Kisma Preserve, Trenton
Maine Wildlife Park, Gray
York's Wild Kingdom, York

Aquariums
Discovery Wharf at MCCF, Stonington
Maine State Aquarium, West Boothbay Harbor
Mount Desert Oceanarium, Bar Harbor

Nature Centers
Center For Wildlife, Cape Neddick
Howell Wildlife Conservation Center, Amity
 
EsserWarrior said:
After watching Animal Planet's "Yankee Jungle" back in 2014, I had been enchanted by this rustic, backwoods facility that was home to many different species of wild, exotic, and domestic animals. However, after growing up and learning about all of the different scandals and claims that had been cast against the facility, I discovered that they were not the "cute little family-owned facility" that I thought they were.

However, within the last few months, I have been keeping up with the DEW Haven on TikTok and I have noticed that their facility is MUCH better than it was back in the day. They appear to be renovating their enclosures, which makes them much more visually appealing. (I think one of their daughters has taken over the facility, which may be why they are making so many changes, or she may just be in charge of their social media.)
Click to expand...
TinoPup said:
Based on photos, I think it's a stretch to call it the best, but now it's more on par with the other options in the state.

Zoos
DEW Haven, Mount Vernon
Kisma Preserve, Trenton
Maine Wildlife Park, Gray
York's Wild Kingdom, York

Aquariums
Discovery Wharf at MCCF, Stonington
Maine State Aquarium, West Boothbay Harbor
Mount Desert Oceanarium, Bar Harbor

Nature Centers
Center For Wildlife, Cape Neddick
Howell Wildlife Conservation Center, Amity
Click to expand...

It wouldn't take much to be the best zoo in Maine, although I can't speak much about DEW Haven as I've never visited and aren't very familiar with the zoo. I can speak to some of the other ones, though. I was not impressed when I visited Maine Wildlife Park a few years ago. Parts of it were very good, such as the deer, moose, and bear exhibits, but many other exhibits were of very poor quality- in particular the lynx exhibit and the line of corn crib cages, with groundhog, beaver, raccoon, etc. It has been a very long time since I've visited York Wild Kingdom, but I seem to remember it being a rather standard ZAA zoo. I think @Dyl0526 has visited more recently so may be able to speak more about it. I've never even heard of the Kisma Preserve. I don't remember ever visiting any of the aquariums in Maine, but I want to say I heard once that the Mount Desert Oceanarium may have closed? You may want to double check whether it's still open or not, though I could be mistaken. And I know nothing about either of the two nature centers you listed.

Overall, Maine isn't exactly a very good state for zoo nerds. None of the zoos in Maine are especially high quality, and I wouldn't expect that to change anytime soon due to the cold weather and low population. If you're in Maine and want a good zoo, you're better off just driving to Boston and visiting Stone or Franklin Park.
 
Neil chace said:
It wouldn't take much to be the best zoo in Maine, although I can't speak much about DEW Haven as I've never visited and aren't very familiar with the zoo. I can speak to some of the other ones, though. I was not impressed when I visited Maine Wildlife Park a few years ago. Parts of it were very good, such as the deer, moose, and bear exhibits, but many other exhibits were of very poor quality- in particular the lynx exhibit and the line of corn crib cages, with groundhog, beaver, raccoon, etc. It has been a very long time since I've visited York Wild Kingdom, but I seem to remember it being a rather standard ZAA zoo. I think @Dyl0526 has visited more recently so may be able to speak more about it. I've never even heard of the Kisma Preserve. I don't remember ever visiting any of the aquariums in Maine, but I want to say I heard once that the Mount Desert Oceanarium may have closed? You may want to double check whether it's still open or not, though I could be mistaken. And I know nothing about either of the two nature centers you listed.

Overall, Maine isn't exactly a very good state for zoo nerds. None of the zoos in Maine are especially high quality, and I wouldn't expect that to change anytime soon due to the cold weather and low population. If you're in Maine and want a good zoo, you're better off just driving to Boston and visiting Stone or Franklin Park.
Click to expand...

Kisma is a small place with a trio of wolves, a black bear, and a few other native species. Home

The Oceanarium is opening again next year, under new ownership: Log into Facebook

Howell doesn't have a website. The Center For Wildlife looks really nice: https://www.thecenterforwildlife.org/
 
just went.

the best zoo / facility in maine is hands-down maine wildlife park, just putting that out there.

dew haven was a surprise to be sure because i was expecting lupa zoo levels of bad, when i ended up with a perfectly sufficient roadside zoo in the boonies.

some enclosures were fine. some bad. everything honestly in-between. their tiger habitat, while it's only chain mesh and not entirely safe for visitors, was surprisingly big, and even had a ton of natural water in it for them. one of their lion habitats was pretty terrible, but their other one i honestly think is a step above naples zoo's lion habitat from the guest-perspective, a lot of climbing for them.

the staff were at least very friendly. i believe i met the owner's wife, who was very kind to us as we visited. you can tell they at least care for their animals and facility, and work on a few improvements here and there, however, it still screams roadside zoo.

the aviary cages for the macaws are my main drawback. very small cages for birds that could easily have a lot more room. everglades wonder gardens ( i think i have some photos on the gallery ) have ample room for rescue macaws, and do it very well. i feel like dew haven should adopt some of those models for their purposes.

the only real notable species here that made it worth the drive for me at least was the american badger, albeit in a typical mesh enclosure. their black bear was surprisingly huge. pleasantly surprised with that one. didn't see the spider monkey which is apparently pretty rare? i haven't seen it at least on my lifelist telling me i haven't.

apologies for the bumping of this thread but wanted to give my perspective on the situation. i just uploaded a ton of photos from dew haven to the gallery ( https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/categories/dew-haven.3289/ ) in case if anyone wants to see the stuff in action.

and you know what? full species list. a (*) indicates signed, not seen.

DEW Haven | Maine Zoo & Rescue (7/3/2023)

Cotton top tamarin*
Patagonian Mara
Angus cattle
Alpaca
Domestic goat
Black Bear
Emu
Wallaby
Donkey
Chinchilla*
Domestic Ferret
Chinchilla
Muloccan cockatoo
Blue fronted Amazon
Scarlet macaw
Scarlet macaw
Military macaw
Blue and gold macaw
Duck and goose pond (assuming domestic hybrids)
Aoudad
Domestic cow
Dromedary camel
American badger
Squirrel monkey
Donkey / Alpaca
Barbados sheep
Mountain lion
Bobcat
Canadian lynx
Bobcat
Mountain lion
African lion
Tiger
Eurasian lynx
Bobcat
African lion
Tiger
Arctic fox
Caracal
De Brazza's monkey
Capuchin * (No species specified)
Ring tailed lemur *
Ateles fusciceps *
Binturong
Patas monkey
 
I think my main issue with DEW Haven is that they market themselves as a rescue. I fail to see how a lion or a monkey living in Maine is rescued. I think it unfairly diminishes what a rescue can and should be.

Meanwhile the Maine Wildlife Park is home almost exclusively to non releasable animals but don't really mention it much in their marketing.
 
I was pleasantly surprised to see someone visit this facility and upload photos. There used to be an Animal Planet show for this facility, but it has since been removed. It seems that the children of the owners have stepped up and have increased the quality of many enclosures over the past few years.

While there is definitely room to grow, it is nice to see that there have been some improvements.
 
DEW, for a backyard zoo in the boonies, is sufficient and have been improved in the few years I went. Their tiger yard is decent and a few other enclosures are fine. I also have known the owners a while from taking their famous tour and they were great people (Bob has since retired due to cancer). It’s definitely better than Kisma or York’s Wild Kingdom, but definitely not the best zoo in the state. That goes to Maine Wildlife Park which is a phenomenal facility that has only improved over the years I’ve been going. If you want a good Maine zoo, that’s the one to visit for sure
 
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