Mole Hall Wildlife Park Mole Hall Wildlife Park closes

brainglue said:
nor do they have money for enclosures of their chimps currently in quarantine. Also the park looks really dilapidated. Is there anyway we can stop this from happening?
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Its a pity the Welsh Sanctuary can't let two or three of their younger males go to Dudley Zoo which needs some males. It might make some space available at the sanctuary for those that really need it. I presume the two old males from Mole Hall are very ancient and maybe castrated, so not much point in considering them for any zoo group.

How come they haven't tried another alternative- Monkeyworld?
 
Pertinax said:
How come they haven't tried another alternative- Monkeyworld?
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I think several options were considered in the UK, many didn't have space for 2 old chimps (they're in the 40's). For the chimps to go to Monkeyworld, the owners would have to come up with a large sum of money up front (that's what I've heard anyway), and the Johnstone family, who own Mole Hall did not want to spend any money.

But MONA Foundation sanctuary in Spain had already agreed to take the old chimps, and MONA-UK has apparently raised a lot of funds and found a flight for the chimps to go there. Then all of a sudden the owners changed their minds by saying that they were advised that the chimps should stay in the UK. At the same time, the Welsh sanctuary jumped in on the campaign having seen the publicity from MONA-UK. I don't think the Mole Hall owners knew anything about Cefn-yr-erw, nor did they care whether Wales was a good option for the chimps (since their own zoo was shabby to say the least). And as far I know, the advise for the chimps to stay in the UK was misquoted. The staff of Mole Hall and many supporters for the move to Spain are absolutely gutted by the new decision.

Even if Cefn-yr-erw got there before MONA, I don't think Cefn-yr-erw is financially prepared to take the chimps. They seem to take in lots of animals without thinking about the financial cost of maintaining their facility. In the end, the welfare of their animals suffer. This is absolutely dangerous. How can a place like this exist in the UK?

The chimps could have had a great retirement in a wonderful sanctuary in Spain. I hope the public or perhaps animal charities could convince the Johnstone family that they had made a mistake and should change their minds.
 
monkey world doesnt have any space to take any more chimps at the moment, they are currently awaiting funding to build a new enclosure
 
brainglue said:
I Then all of a sudden the owners changed their minds by saying that they were advised that the chimps should stay in the UK. And as far I know, the advise for the chimps to stay in the UK was misquoted. The staff of Mole Hall and many supporters for the move to Spain are absolutely gutted by the new decision.
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I'm wondering what the 'advise' was that caused the change of heart about their destination. Spain seems a far preferable destination than a cold Welsh hillside and the Mole Hall people must see that too so there has to be a particular reason for the turnaround.
 
I just thought that I would let the users of the forum know that the owner of Mole Hall passed away just before Christmas due to his terminal cancer.
 
The two male Chimps actually ended up going to the welsh "rescue centre" Cefyn Yr Erw". Tubman and Joey were initially going to Spain and all the arrangements had been made , however the cost of sending them there combined with the distance involved were deciding factors in the change of heart. I dont believe there were any efforts to sell the park as a "going concern" , that was never an issue , though the estate house itself would be of considerable value. Its a great shame , it never reached its full potential and could have been so much better than it actually was , very sad. Z.
 
Joey

Message from Jan and Graham regarding Joey ..

Joey


I have been reading the comments on facebook , and yes some people constantly badgered them for answers , even suggesting they had something to hide !!

The facebook creator commented several times that anyone needing to know should contact the sanctuary direct .. these comments seem to have been ignored and the same people kept on asking the same things.

Why couldnt people just leave them alone , its quite obvious they are grieving , having lost Joey and also sanctuary patron Stuart Cable , also protocols have to be met regarding the death of captive animals .. Sometime humans make me sick !:(
 
Why have you not notified any of the ex Mole Hall staff or owners who worked with him for 30+ years, they are grieving too!!!!!!!!! I guess that doesn't not count too you. :mad: Does you having him for just over a year cancel out their love?

I have spoken to many of their ex keepers and supporters who are in tears and grieving too!:(

They sadly they had to find out by nice people who thought that they would like and should know! As he has been dead nearly 2 weeks! Some keepers were planning to visit this week....

People have asked polite and simple questions about Joey and offered their condolences on the face book group, these were rudely deleted!

E-mails have had rude replies and in most cases not answered.

Also the sanctuary has directly been saying two different versions of his death, which is very hurtful..................... if a 'basic' statement was released at the time of his death there would have been no extra distress to his ex keepers and supporters. They just wanted to know..........

At the end of the day a lot of people think it was the wrong choice to send to old chimps to a cold, wet Welsh hillside! and after visiting I totally agree with them!

Ex Mole Hall keeper for 10 years and their friend! RIP my beautiful boy!
 
abbyzoo said:
Why have you not notified any of the ex Mole Hall staff or owners who worked with him for 30+ years, they are grieving too!!!!!!!!! I guess that doesn't not count too you. :mad: Does you having him for just over a year cancel out their love?

I have spoken to many of their ex keepers and supporters who are in tears and grieving too!:(

They sadly they had to find out by nice people who thought that they would like and should know! As he has been dead nearly 2 weeks! Some keepers were planning to visit this week....

People have asked polite and simple questions about Joey and offered their condolences on the face book group, these were rudely deleted!

E-mails have had rude replies and in most cases not answered.

Also the sanctuary has directly been saying two different versions of his death, which is very hurtful..................... if a 'basic' statement was released at the time of his death there would have been no extra distress to his ex keepers and supporters. They just wanted to know..........

At the end of the day a lot of people think it was the wrong choice to send to old chimps to a cold, wet Welsh hillside! and after visiting I totally agree with them!

Ex Mole Hall keeper for 10 years and their friend! RIP my beautiful boy!
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If I were you I wouldnt brag about being Joeys keeper, as when he came to Wales he was extreemly overweight and suffering from several mouth problems ,which doesnt strike me as having been well cared for at all .

Where does it give 2 versions of Joeys death , nothing has been released yet as the sanctuary are still waiting for the post mortem results .

All you are trying to do is discredit the good name of those who cared for Joey during his last year and were with him until the very end , you are not succeeding !! Your lies dont fool anyone who visits the sanctuary regularly as I do , as for it being a cold , wet welsh hillside , that just proves how little you actually know, It is actually located within the brecon national park .. a well known area of great beauty and visited by people from all over the world .

Did you ever telephone on a regular basis to ask how your beloved Joey was doing .. did you donate to his care .. or even sponsor him I very much doubt it !

As for the facebook group you and 2 others were warned several times that if your bullying tactics continued that your comments would be deleted and you would be removed from the group .

You say you were Joeys keeper for 10 years if that is true then surely you must know that certain protocols must be followed in regards to any captive animals death , and shouting about it all over the internet is certainly not the right way to act !

Several members have contacted my friend Avril who runs the fb group to say they had no problem whatsoever with the sanctuary when they phoned them to ask of Joey and were given the news in a respectful and dignified manner.
 
This is so wrong to know that people are running this sanctuary down, I am a regular visitor here, and I have first hand knowledge of it ,there is a dedicated staff, and the owners are fantastic with the animals, the reason they have not given any info on Joey is because, before they release any info on him, there has to be a post mortem, until the results of that are through, there is no answer as to why Joey died, he was well cared for and loved by everyone especially the owners, all animals in this sanctuary are well looked after and cared for and are given plenty of love , so before anyone starts running any one down, get the facts right first, when they know what was wrong with Joey, then they will tell everyone what was wrong with him, until then they are doing the right thing and getting all the facts right before they go public, and by the way I have a lot of sympathy for the owners and the staff who loved Joey, it was like losing part of thier family, so lets be a bit sympathetic here, after all we have all had animals we loved, and it is like losing a member of your family, I would reccomend this sanctuary to anyone, as there is always a warm and sincere welcome for everyone , and without people like these where would animals end up .
 
It is very sad that Joey has passed away and I feel terribly sorry for his keepers, both at Mole Hall and the Welsh Sanctuary.
However, after sending the sanctuary a heart felt e-mail asking if the rumours on here were true (as I did not wish to speculate on unconfirmed rumours) I had an extremely rude and disrespectful e-mail from the owner, who basically said that everyone on zoochat are lazy louts with nothing better to do (that is paraphrased). The e-mail also contained personal digs at myself, which I found extremely hurtful as I have not commented on here about the passing of Joey and I had a nice experience on a recent visit to the sanctuary.

As much as I love the primate residents at the sanctuary, and felt that they were cared for and looked after, I feel that I am now unable to visit again and show my support due to the nasty reply I had from the owner. Had my e-mail started with an offer of money I'm certain the reply would have been different! I understand that it is a deeply upsetting time for the staff at the sanctuary who have worked so closely with Joey, I feel their public relations have not been particularly professional.
 
She-wolf said:
If I were you I wouldnt brag about being Joeys keeper, as when he came to Wales he was extreemly overweight and suffering from several mouth problems ,which doesnt strike me as having been well cared for at all .

:mad: I looked after him from 1991 till 2001 sorry I was not there to control his diet, he was very fit and healthy during my time with him! also his mouth problems have been with him all his life not a new thing!

Where does it give 2 versions of Joeys death , nothing has been released yet as the sanctuary are still waiting for the post mortem results .

Well I have 2 accounts of what has happened!!! And details which contradict each other!

All you are trying to do is discredit the good name of those who cared for Joey during his last year and were with him until the very end , you are not succeeding !! Your lies dont fool anyone who visits the sanctuary regularly as I do , as for it being a cold , wet welsh hillside , that just proves how little you actually know, It is actually located within the brecon national park .. a well known area of great beauty and visited by people from all over the world .

Sorry think this is alot better!
MONA News Blog


Did you ever telephone on a regular basis to ask how your beloved Joey was doing .. did you donate to his care .. or even sponsor him I very much doubt it !

Did not need too I have friends I trust in the area and good links with ex keepers/friends who kept me well informed!

As for the facebook group you and 2 others were warned several times that if your bullying tactics continued that your comments would be deleted and you would be removed from the group .

Myself and Joey's friends offered our condolence and put RIP Joey which was deleted!!

You say you were Joeys keeper for 10 years if that is true then surely you must know that certain protocols must be followed in regards to any captive animals death , and shouting about it all over the internet is certainly not the right way to act !

Personally Ii think you follow your own protocols!

Several members have contacted my friend Avril who runs the fb group to say they had no problem whatsoever with the sanctuary when they phoned them to ask of Joey and were given the news in a respectful and dignified manner.
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Joey's friends and keepers have asked for respect too, I have been contacted by a lot of people wanted to know about him, and have had rude replys from e-mails and in the FB group
As they were at Mole Hall for many many many many years they have a lot of friends!




:mad:
 
I'm with you on this one Abbyzoo. My reply was completely horrible - I was showing concern for an old lad who I fell in love with on a visit. I can fully understand how annoyed and upset you must be at the sanctuary not bothering to tell you and the other keepers of the loss
 
bevhill1956 said:
This is so wrong to know that people are running this sanctuary down, I am a regular visitor here, and I have first hand knowledge of it ,there is a dedicated staff, and the owners are fantastic with the animals, the reason they have not given any info on Joey is because, before they release any info on him, there has to be a post mortem, until the results of that are through, there is no answer as to why Joey died, he was well cared for and loved by everyone especially the owners, all animals in this sanctuary are well looked after and cared for and are given plenty of love , so before anyone starts running any one down, get the facts right first, when they know what was wrong with Joey, then they will tell everyone what was wrong with him, until then they are doing the right thing and getting all the facts right before they go public, and by the way I have a lot of sympathy for the owners and the staff who loved Joey, it was like losing part of thier family, so lets be a bit sympathetic here, after all we have all had animals we loved, and it is like losing a member of your family, I would reccomend this sanctuary to anyone, as there is always a warm and sincere welcome for everyone , and without people like these where would animals end up .
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That's one big sentence!
 
I understand views from both sides of the arguement.

I have never been, but as you say enrichment can be simple and free of costs, ranging from childrens toys through to donated timber and branches and etc.

I think however anyone that actually gets their teeth into helping animals in this way must be fully respected and commended.

As for the rude emails, it sounds like a very unprofessional way to go about things. I understand it must be irratating recieving a 100 emails asking about the same issue, especially if its about the death of an animal you have bonded with (it would bother me if people were quizing me about how and when my dog died) but surely a standard template explaining 'we are awaiting results from the post mortem' etc etc would be sufficient?! As opposed to being insulting.

But anyway i am great admirers of people who dedicate themselves to the recue of animals and wish them the best.
 
I had a completley different reply just a few mins ago. Though very very short.

Tubman is really good we have spent a lot of time with him he also saw us trying to help Joey so it was not that he just disappeared.
Regards
Graham
 
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