The Sanctuary that is Monkey Haven, Isle of Wight

On our recent visit to the Isle of Wight, we were invited to visit Monkey Haven, near Newport. In fact, it was close to the Steam Railway station at Havenstreet. Monkey Haven was established in 2010; originally called the ‘Owl and Monkey Haven’, it looks after rescue animals given to them by the police and the public. It’s a lovely place to visit, but the background story is worth telling too.

The beginnings of Monkey Haven

The history of Monkey Haven is a complex one. It starts with the founder, Don Walser, in Northamptonshire in the 1970s. A cabinet maker by trade, he also kept barns owls and was involved in a breed and release programme. People started bringing birds to him that needed help, and he took them in. A customer he worked for kept monkeys and one day they asked if he’d take them on – he said yes. That was the start … and he soon needed more space.

On a holiday to the Isle of Wight he had a eureka moment. He would set up a sanctuary on the Isle of Wight – the better weather would suit the monkeys, and with its rich tourism the sanctuary would fund itself from entry tickets. Sounded perfect. So, the whole family moved. In 2000 they bought Five Acres Farm, but it took 10 years before they could open the doors to the public.

Along the way they have faced a huge amount of set-backs – without all the required permissions they couldn’t “build their dream” or sell entry tickets, so were haemorrhaging money and facing bankruptcy. A local DJ took a dislike to their plans too, calling the monkeys ‘dirty and smelly’. He started a public debate, which gathered momentum among islanders.

But in 2004 they got the permissions required to go ahead and build the sanctuary, which they worked around the clock to get built. It wasn’t plain sailing from then on though. Red tape prevented them from opening to the public until 2009 when they finally were given a Zoo Licence.

Awards …

In 2017 Monkey Haven won a Best Small Visitor Attraction in England award by VisitEngland. They are also the Isle of Wight’s number one attraction according to Tripadvisor. After a tough beginning, the future is looking good. So, I should tell you about our visit?!

Our Visit

First impression upon pulling into the drive was “big car park, very neat and tidy”. We were greeted by a friendly member of staff, who gave me a guide to the sanctuary and Toby a ‘find the stamps quiz booklet’. We walked between the gift shop on the left and the café on the right, before stepping out into a large paved sitting/picnic area. Again, very neat and tidy!

There are boards telling you what time there are talks or activities taking place. Such as those on this board here:

With Toby eager to start finding the stamps for his quiz, we headed straight to the Reptile Lodge. This doubles up as an educational classroom – and I’m guessing birthday party room!

We met Teddy the Bearded Dragon here.

Animals

Monkey Haven isn’t just about the monkeys. Don’t get us wrong, there are some fantastic, quite vocal, monkeys to visit – but there’s lots more besides. Meerkats for example, who were rescued from the illegal pet trade.

We fell in love with Sandy, a huge beautiful Eurasian Eagle Owl … very chatty! She arrived at the sanctuary with a deformed wing.

The monkeys were impossible to photograph. Mainly because I’m not very good at zooming the lens between the fence wires! So, you have to take my word that there are some really cheeky characters to meet!

The gibbons watched your every move. They pretended not to notice you, until you walked around a corner and they’d crook their necks to see where you’ve gone! Their enclosures were full of playthings for them – there’s no way they’d ever be bored. And their fur was so shiny … whatever shampoo they use, I want some!

I could have spent hours watching the squirrel monkeys. They were as interested in us as we were them. You can view them inside through glass, and one was fascinated with Toby. I think it liked his Christmas jumper! It sat on the window sill staring at him, then when he walked off, it leaned into the glass to see where he was going. It was very sweet!

As well as lots of monkeys, owls, meerkats, and a Bearded Dragon, there’s also a koi carp pool, tortoises and some beautiful birds – a favourite of which was the kookaburra!

Fun for the Kids

The animals will entertain the children, believe me! The keeper talks are a lot of fun too. Around the sanctuary there’s play parks:

Selfie photo opps:

And as already mentioned, the quiz to complete as you go round.

App

You can also download the Monkey Haven app. This gives you more facts as you work you way around the sanctuary. There are behind the scenes videos and filters to make some fun selfies. There’s also an in-app trail to follow; upon completion you win a small prize.

Future Plans

What’s important to remember is that all of these animals are at Monkey Haven because they were rescued, or they were ill and no one was interested in them. With the birds, if they can be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, they are. Those that cannot, stay.

But they need more space. More enclosures. Some of the original enclosures now need replacing. To this end there are plans to build five further enclosures so that they can give an additional 20-25 monkeys a forever home. And it’s your entrance fee that will enable this to happen.

Please go and visit Monkey Haven when you’re next on the Isle of Wight. Given the struggle and sacrifice to get the sanctuary off the ground, it’s now all about the animals and their happiness. This is a gem of a place; a lovely visit. We can see why it’s so highly rated on Tripadvisor, and their award from VisitEngland was definitely deserving, and hopefully they’ll win more.

Disclaimer

Visit IOW invited us to experience Monkey Haven, while we were visiting the Isle of Wight courtesy of Wightlink Ferries, where we also received discounted accommodation at Tom’s Eco Lodge. Our opinions are our own, and haven’t been influenced in any way.