DEW Haven | Maine Zoo and Rescue — Attraction in Mount Vernon

Dew haven is an interesting place. On one hand it rescues some animals and uses the public to fund the effort. On the other hand it remains a zoo with the business model of exploiting animals for entertainment. I go for my toddler not myself because it remains the lesser of evils.

I do caution however because although the social animals we as humans interact with more regularly like goats seem engaged the bears are a sad lot. Two bears sitting at the bottom of feeding chutes eating cherrioes seemingly during operating hours reminds me too much of the rats who will simply engorge themselves on pleasure until death. It's a rewarding life but is it stimulating and enriched? That is a hard thing to answer.

The birds may be rescued but the cages are quite restricting. They may be safe but because they are not a big attraction they are a victim of being unpopular. Reminding me about how the panda bear is a the face of conservation while ugly animals are allowed to go extinct despite being cheaper to preserve. Conservation is financial first. If it doesn't sell it doesn't get money out into it.

This brings me to the main attraction here. The big cats although not given adequate area to roam they are given a much larger area and enrichment. You can tell the money makers because without them dew haven is just a step above a petting zoo. With multi levels and area to wander the big cats are provided the premier real estate at dew haven. Money talks and if they were given the space the deer are provided people would leave feeling the animals were exploited.

This brings me to the end of the zoo. When it comes to the monkeys that remind us of ourselves they are also afforded play and enrichment. Things to climb and enjoy as well as area to get away and hide.

To summarize dew haven is the less of evils. The money they make clearly goes to the animals that people come to see. Not the animals that are byproducts of rescue. The structures and pens are adequate but leave much to be desired. Dew haven gives off the vibe they are scraping by which very well may be the case.

If dew haven didn't exist some animals would die. But without a safety net would people be more apt to be against the import and keeping of wild animals? It's all a difficult though experiment but at the end of the day dew haven provides a service that on the surface passes as rescue but financially appears it may not be something people want. Only time will tell if they are more a panda bear or a different species that probably went extinct during the reading of...

My experience differed from those who commented above. The animals I saw had water, but the water was very dirty and black. I was particularly concerned about the exotic birds. I saw three macaws in a small, chicken wire cage with dirty water and no food I could see, as well as no real available shelter from the elements--just a small shaded area. I could hear the screams of a cockatoo all around the park. It was a Molluccan cockatoo, again in a cage too small for it's size. It had no companionship and seemed starved for attention. The owner just yelled to the bird to shut up. He told the tourists that this bird was a recent donation. Birds are social animals and this bird nothing/nobody with whom to socialize. And what care does Dew Haven provide for these tropical birds, and for that matter, other animals from warmer climates in the colder months?

I have been unable to stop thinking about what I saw and heard at Dew Haven. I think the owners may be making an effort, but they are in over their heads here. The big cats also had very dirty water in their enclosures. Please, can they at least have some clean water, adequate, healthy food, and some shelter from...

My family of 5 went there, it was an hour drive for us with 3 little kids aged 2 months to 8 years. We paid $44 to get in including 2 little cones full of food. We weren't in the place for more then 5 minutes and a worker had already yelled at 2 kids for running, loud enough that everyone turned around to look, then the same worker was completely rude to a person who had their hand outside of the cage and the deer was licking her hand, and told her not to touch the animals, when she wasn't touching them, and proceeded to argue with her about whether or not she had her hand in the cage. Then my husband went up to a duck to pet it, which was a free range duck, and the SAME worker approached him with an attitude saying "if the duck backs away, chances are you shouldn't keep touching it." The worker with red hair needs to learn how to talk to the public in a professional manner, and it simply made us feel like we were walking on egg shells the rest of the time we were there. Also, people had to park on the side of the road where cars go by pretty fast, they should look into making more parking before someone gets hit. I won't suggest this...