Page 66 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 108

BV108 pg 66-67.qxp_BV108 pg 66 18/06/2023 13:25 Page 1

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cause for applause

Who’s visited Skegness? Anyone been to Natureland, also known as Skeg-
ness Seal Sanctuary? We were eager to visit the rescued seals when we took a
trip to Skegness for a long weekend. And we didn’t just go to the Seal Sanctuary
once, but twice, while we were there. The centre rehabilitates orphaned and in-
jured seal pups that are found along the Lincolnshire Coast. The sanctuary has
a rearing pool and every day have feeding sessions, which are viewed by the
paying public. The sanctuary costs just over £10 for one adult, and children cost
£8.50, which is well worth it. The funds go towards the cost of the seal pups’ re-
habilitation and the general costs of the facility.

When we got there, we were first met with a pool which
had five adult seals swimming around in it. They are perma-
nent residents. The pool itself is fairly small, and you can’t
help but feel a bit sorry for the seals that live their days in the
pool. They swim around and around. They have certain feed-
ing times and you can see the adult seals being fed and find
out more about each of the seals, before going over to see
the seal pups being fed.
Natureland is also home to a variety of other animals.
You’ll spot the meerkats early on, an aquarium/pond of fish,
and go into an indoor tropical house, which is home to a va-
riety of reptiles. There are scorpions, spiders, an iguana, and
even a crocodile (not so sure about having a crocodile in
such a small enclosure). The small reptiles are behind glass.
We then found Floral Palace, which, back when we vis-
ited, featured a mass of birds and tropical butterflies. The
birds have more recently been transferred to an aviary, due
to bird flu in the UK.
When we visited, there were four penguins living outside
in their own special area. They had a bit of water to swim in,
plus a couple of little wooden buildings/shelters to go into if
they wanted privacy. Again, we did feel a bit sorry for them,
as the area was quite small, and not quite the Antarctic, espe-
cially during the summer. They also had a feeding schedule,
with a staff member throwing them fish to eat while visitors
watched on.
Natureland includes a gift shop where you can buy cloth-
ing, gifts and also food to feed animals such as the goats and
alpacas. Opposite the gift shop is an area that includes goats.
The goats are often eager for food and may even snatch the
bag out of your hand if you’re not quick!
Around the back, if you follow the pathway, you’ll come to
a field with a couple of alpacas in. They came over to eat while
we were there. According to the Natureland website, they are
only onsite from April to November, and stay in their winter
home elsewhere from November until April.
Once all of the animals had been seen and photographed,
it was time for us to head to Natureland’s large cafe. We
bought a lovely slice of lemon vegan cake. So yummy!

CAUSE FOR APPLAUSE