Cefn-yr-Erw Primate Sanctuary » Cefn-yr-Erw

04-09-2008

The louder the criticisms, the less the difference, it seems.
I think he just wanted to establish his own different 'identity' for the place. In much the same way old Aspinall was always very scathing about 'ordinary' and establishment zoos- yet Aspinalls' made just as many mistakes, they were just a different type.

04-09-2008

the one for Ruffed Lemurs certainly is. Do they have to have a license to keep these wild animals and if so who would make the inspections?

04-09-2008

Well if it's open to the public (for more then seven days a year) then they must be under the zoo licencing regulations. (Unless they somehow loophole it via the bed and breakfast)
Isn't there usually someone from the local enviroment office on the inspection panel, along with the national "experts." So it might be worth contacting the local council if you want to complain, or defra.

Unfortunately it seems very difficult for a place, any place to lose its licence. Not that I'm saying that this place should - I've never been there so cannot comment. I just think regulations need tightening in general.

05-09-2008

i feel very stuck in this conversation, while i support what the "zoo/sanctuary" is doing i do however object to thier non-zoo, but still breeding and exhibiting animals approach!

05-09-2008

It sounds sad but this could be the only way to sort this collection out, maybe they could sort out somekind of government funding? i think they really care for thier animals they just dont have the budget to cater thier needs

05-09-2008

This has been mentioned on another thread. The sanctuary must abide by the zoo licensing regulations as they are open to the public throughout the year. They would not be able to get around the licence due to the animals they house, which are DWA licence. If the inspectors felt that the park did not meet all the regulations then it would be under pressure to sort them out until the next inspection (assuming not breaking cruelty laws). The local council could put pressure on the park too. Many examples in the UK were parks have not been up to scratch, but continued until closed or improved. Dartmoor and Glasgow are good examples of both.

05-09-2008

and southport that is due to reopen soon if im right?

05-09-2008

Can you tell us your source for this information or maybe a link you have seen?

05-09-2008

this sounds stupid but it was actually on wikipedia but it has since been changed it not reopening, sorry1

06-09-2008

Just a little advice here Tigerlemurguy, take anything you read on Wikipedia with a pinch of salt and try to find a proper source. Due to the content being user-added, lots of false information is on there.

06-09-2008

thats why i said its sounds stupid!

Help stop Mole Hall chimps from going to cefn yr erw
17-10-2008

Mole Hall has badly ran their zoo for so many years. Now with its closure, all the animals had to be re-homed immediately. The two elderly chimpanzees, Joey and Tubman, were initially going to sunny Spain to the MONA Foundation sanctuary where they would live out the rest of their lives with the sun on their backs. But after several weeks of campaign by the Cambridge based charity, MONA-UK, the Johnstone family who owns Mole Hall suddenly changed their minds and decided to transfer the chimps to a sub-standard facility in Wales (cefn-yr-erw). This is very worrying. If you do a search for "Joey and Tubman" on Google, you will see the amazing public campaign started by MONA-UK. Has anyone ever visited Cefn-yr-erw? From the Welsh website, they don't seem to have money for the upkeep of their animals, nor do they have money for enclosures of their chimps currently in quarantine. Also the park looks really dilapidated. I can't bare to see these chimps live out the rest of their lives in squalor. Is there anyway we can stop this from happening?

17-10-2008

to be honest i think mole hall is actually quite a nice little collections although i have never actually been

Visit to Cefn-yr-Erw today
18-10-2008

Totally by chance I have just come back from Cefn-yr-Erw and learned about plans to move the Mole Hall chimps there .

I don't want to get too involved in the politics of Monkey sanctuaries but , for many , money does seem to be involved before they will accept primates . Some also seem to be selective about what they will accept - Monkeyworld now only seems to accept young chimps , I assume this is because trying to socialise older animals into their groups would be difficult .

Ok , Cefn-yr-Erw is not perfect but it does rely on donations and the income from visitors to pay its way so life must be tough . It certainly has a scruffy look to it . A notice says they know they are far from perfect and are happy to accept constructive criticism . On a sunny afternoon the surrounding hills are spectacular but it must be a bit grim there in cold , wet weather . In that respect a chimp retirement home in Spain would be a more attractive proposition .

Apart from one exception I found all the primates looking in good condition and behaving in a relaxed manner . Their housing would not win any awards but seemed acceptable to me - I am pleased to say the mandrill/spider monkey couple now have a better home and the capuchins have a much better new house . All but the 2 black mangabeys , still in quarantine , had both inside and outside areas available . Species seen not already mentioned - chimps in 3 groups total 9 , 5 gibbons including the pileated hybrid from Southport , 3 very lively vervets , 3 groups of b and w ruffed lemurs , mayotte brown lemurs , common marmosets , group of Hamadryas baboons on an island .

My problem was with 2 groups of baboons housed in adjoining cages with only a single mesh between them . There was a lot of tension between the big male olive baboon and the group of 4 hamadryas and 2 olives in the adjoining cage . The 3 female/juvenile olives with the big male were inside and one had quite a few cuts on it . I also saw rats in a lemur house .

A new small enclosure was being prepared for the wolf cubs previously mentioned . The two wolves already in residence certainly look like wolf hybrids to me . Also seen were a couple of porcupine , red foxes , barn owls and in the fields lots of ponies , donkeys , cattle , sheep and goats . The single lar gibbon Oliver who lives in an area of field surrounded by electric fence had a number of sheep grazing the grass in his pen .

18-10-2008

Rats? Not good :S
So the are taking on those wolves? I would guess this might be a draw for visitors, so I guess they can't be blamed.
And I've seen photos of the two adult "wolves", they are undoubtably hybrids.