Today I paid a well overdue visit to the Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary & Wildlife Centre, a small collection on the Lincolnshire coast which I'm extremely fond of and used to visit a few times a year, but had neglected to visit for several years (no reflection on the collection I hasten to add!). A lot has changed in that time and my review aims to try and sum up how the place differs from how it looked 5+ years ago.
For anyone not familiar with this site, its a 2 acre zoo which primarily cares for injured and orphaned seal pups, seabirds and other native wildlife. Many of these animals are released back into the wild, but some which are unsuitable for release are permanently housed at the sanctuary. These form the bulk of the collection, along with a number of exotics, which have expanded considerably in recent years, mainly made up of surplus zoo stock as well as specimens from the exotic pet trade and those confiscated by the RSPCA. These are mainly the kind of stuff that appear in most zoos large and small, but there are a few oddities to look out for!
The original seal hospital can be viewed without actually entering the attraction, along with a recently enlarged pool for resident male Grey Seals Nooky and Popeye. On entering, visitors first encounter a row of small parrot aviaries before travelling back in time! The glasshouse complex was built mainly to house a Spectacled Caiman but after this passed away, the main area now houses a large group of Terrapins. There are some other small reptiles here, and also in the nearby Clinton Keeling Education Room - recently rebuilt after a fire.
A large adjoining aviary houses a fairly unremarkable selection of birds, along with White Eared Pheasants and an Emu. Close by there are several aviaries for a number of owls and small raptors, the highlight being a gorgeous little Hobby. Also nearby there is a small cage housing Grey Squirrels, and a typical open-top enclosure for Meerkats. A personal highlight, and one of the most unusual recent additions, is an Asian Palm Civet in a small wooden pen with viewing through a mix of glass and mesh. This animal was quite hard to spot at first but emerged later in the day and was very active and agile; one of the advantages of Mablethorpe's small size is how easy it is to return to favourite species and 'no-shows'! Although nothing spectacular the enclosure for the civet is well planted and interesting, with good viewing from a variety of angles - one of Mablethorpe's strong points.
After passing the Pet's Corner which has Giant Rabbits as well as the more usual cute critters, I saw Tawny Eagles in a good-sized aviary, and a pair of Lar Gibbons in a very tall pen. The monkey house which was built to house some of the elderly monkeys from the early days of the collection is now home to some Squirrel Monkeys. On exiting their house I passed a single Rhea before reaching the old fox pen, which has now been revamped for a small group of Ring-Tailed Lemurs which were enjoying the sun and proving very popular with visitors. Next door, a very attractive run which has been home to Arctic Foxes in the past, and more recently Badgers, is now housing two Asian Short-Clawed Otters. This is a very generous exhibit and with water features already present, it looks as if it was purpose built for its latest inhabitants. There is a small darkened area where visitors can see the otters in their holt when they are not outside; one otter was taking in some fresh bedding whilst I was present. Opposite where Snowy Owls used to be, tying in with the 'Ice Age Mablethorpe' theme of this area, are now Ring-Tailed Coatis.
I was disappointed that Mablethorpe's best exhibit, the Lynx Cave, is being refurbished at present - although as I want to see the lynx in it again that gives me an excuse to return! The trio of Eurasian Lynx are temporarily housed in a fairly new enclosure adjoining the otter pen, which is not a patch on their regular place although for something temporary it is actually a pretty decent run for them. I was told that this normally houses the resident Fox and Badger, which are presently off show. The regular Lynx enclosure has been dismantled; looking at it, it appears that the wood structure and mesh are being replaced, although I suspect it will remain largely as is, as it was always a spacious and interesting enclosure. The Ice Age Cave remains open for visitors with some interesting museum-style exhibits, and underground viewing of the Crested Porcupines as well as the Lynx dens (when they are in!).
After passing a large aviary for Sacred Ibis and Grey Heron, I came to what was the enclosure for Scottish Wildcats - but sadly they have been replaced by an aviary for exotic waterfowl. These included a pair of white Mandarin Ducks which were a new one on me, and very pretty they are too. As well as the ducks there was a single Puffin in here, I'm not sure if this is a permanent resident or just passing through.
We then come to the main Seal Sanctuary pools housing a mix of Common and Grey Seals - eight in total, all of which cannot be released for various reasons. These include an albino Common Seal, although she has recently moulted and looks very dark! The pool is very large and another of the highlights of the collection. Close by is an aviary for injured seabirds, including seven Gannets which were seen diving into their small pool. Passing a further small seal pool, it was then back to the entrance site via the small but delightful cafe and the gift shop. In the past it seemed that however often I visited this shop I always managed to buy something, but not today - it seems to have been taken over by children's toys with most of the better quality animal souvenirs of the past nowhere to be seen.
So, that in summary was my return to Mablethorpe. Its hard to say whether its better or worse than it used to be - its certainly different and takes a bit of getting used to, but I feel that overall its charm and character has been retained. The newer additions fit in well and although the place feels more commercial than it used to, it isn't overwhelmingly so and is still a lovely little place to stroll around.
If anyone has any questions not answered in my review, please ask away and I'll try to answer! I hope this report was of interest, I wanted to share my views as this sanctuary doesn't get much coverage being a small collection.
For anyone not familiar with this site, its a 2 acre zoo which primarily cares for injured and orphaned seal pups, seabirds and other native wildlife. Many of these animals are released back into the wild, but some which are unsuitable for release are permanently housed at the sanctuary. These form the bulk of the collection, along with a number of exotics, which have expanded considerably in recent years, mainly made up of surplus zoo stock as well as specimens from the exotic pet trade and those confiscated by the RSPCA. These are mainly the kind of stuff that appear in most zoos large and small, but there are a few oddities to look out for!
The original seal hospital can be viewed without actually entering the attraction, along with a recently enlarged pool for resident male Grey Seals Nooky and Popeye. On entering, visitors first encounter a row of small parrot aviaries before travelling back in time! The glasshouse complex was built mainly to house a Spectacled Caiman but after this passed away, the main area now houses a large group of Terrapins. There are some other small reptiles here, and also in the nearby Clinton Keeling Education Room - recently rebuilt after a fire.
A large adjoining aviary houses a fairly unremarkable selection of birds, along with White Eared Pheasants and an Emu. Close by there are several aviaries for a number of owls and small raptors, the highlight being a gorgeous little Hobby. Also nearby there is a small cage housing Grey Squirrels, and a typical open-top enclosure for Meerkats. A personal highlight, and one of the most unusual recent additions, is an Asian Palm Civet in a small wooden pen with viewing through a mix of glass and mesh. This animal was quite hard to spot at first but emerged later in the day and was very active and agile; one of the advantages of Mablethorpe's small size is how easy it is to return to favourite species and 'no-shows'! Although nothing spectacular the enclosure for the civet is well planted and interesting, with good viewing from a variety of angles - one of Mablethorpe's strong points.
After passing the Pet's Corner which has Giant Rabbits as well as the more usual cute critters, I saw Tawny Eagles in a good-sized aviary, and a pair of Lar Gibbons in a very tall pen. The monkey house which was built to house some of the elderly monkeys from the early days of the collection is now home to some Squirrel Monkeys. On exiting their house I passed a single Rhea before reaching the old fox pen, which has now been revamped for a small group of Ring-Tailed Lemurs which were enjoying the sun and proving very popular with visitors. Next door, a very attractive run which has been home to Arctic Foxes in the past, and more recently Badgers, is now housing two Asian Short-Clawed Otters. This is a very generous exhibit and with water features already present, it looks as if it was purpose built for its latest inhabitants. There is a small darkened area where visitors can see the otters in their holt when they are not outside; one otter was taking in some fresh bedding whilst I was present. Opposite where Snowy Owls used to be, tying in with the 'Ice Age Mablethorpe' theme of this area, are now Ring-Tailed Coatis.
I was disappointed that Mablethorpe's best exhibit, the Lynx Cave, is being refurbished at present - although as I want to see the lynx in it again that gives me an excuse to return! The trio of Eurasian Lynx are temporarily housed in a fairly new enclosure adjoining the otter pen, which is not a patch on their regular place although for something temporary it is actually a pretty decent run for them. I was told that this normally houses the resident Fox and Badger, which are presently off show. The regular Lynx enclosure has been dismantled; looking at it, it appears that the wood structure and mesh are being replaced, although I suspect it will remain largely as is, as it was always a spacious and interesting enclosure. The Ice Age Cave remains open for visitors with some interesting museum-style exhibits, and underground viewing of the Crested Porcupines as well as the Lynx dens (when they are in!).
After passing a large aviary for Sacred Ibis and Grey Heron, I came to what was the enclosure for Scottish Wildcats - but sadly they have been replaced by an aviary for exotic waterfowl. These included a pair of white Mandarin Ducks which were a new one on me, and very pretty they are too. As well as the ducks there was a single Puffin in here, I'm not sure if this is a permanent resident or just passing through.
We then come to the main Seal Sanctuary pools housing a mix of Common and Grey Seals - eight in total, all of which cannot be released for various reasons. These include an albino Common Seal, although she has recently moulted and looks very dark! The pool is very large and another of the highlights of the collection. Close by is an aviary for injured seabirds, including seven Gannets which were seen diving into their small pool. Passing a further small seal pool, it was then back to the entrance site via the small but delightful cafe and the gift shop. In the past it seemed that however often I visited this shop I always managed to buy something, but not today - it seems to have been taken over by children's toys with most of the better quality animal souvenirs of the past nowhere to be seen.
So, that in summary was my return to Mablethorpe. Its hard to say whether its better or worse than it used to be - its certainly different and takes a bit of getting used to, but I feel that overall its charm and character has been retained. The newer additions fit in well and although the place feels more commercial than it used to, it isn't overwhelmingly so and is still a lovely little place to stroll around.
If anyone has any questions not answered in my review, please ask away and I'll try to answer! I hope this report was of interest, I wanted to share my views as this sanctuary doesn't get much coverage being a small collection.
