Rare Species Conservation Centre, Sandwich

History

The RSCC is permanently closed to the public since autumn 2015, but expected to reopen as Sandwich Wildlife Park in 2018

The Rare Species Conservation Centre (RSCC) was established in 2006 by The Rare Species Conservation Trust, with Todd Dalton as its driving force, primarily as a conservation centre. In May 2007 this trust was officially registered as a UK charity with the aim to operate the RSCC as a breeding centre for rare species open to the public for education purposes. In addition the charity should provide a refuge for rescued animals and in situ conservation projects for endangered rare species.

So, from the beginning the intention was to educate visitors and create awareness of the plight of some of the world's lesser-known rare and endangered animal species, but entertainment or recreation was not set as a task.

The RSCC was created on the same grounds where formerly a small primate centre called The Monkey Rainforest was housed. This small zoo had a good track record regarding primate breeding with 45% of the zoo's animal population bred on the premises. They had primates and birds on display from South America such as marmosets, tamarins and squirrel monkeys, and lemurs from Madagascar. Both the large water garden centre and pet shop that were adjacent to the zoo still exists.

The RSCC started in 2006 on 0.61 hectare as a small breeding centre dedicated to the care, breeding and conservation of felids, other small carnivores and nocturnal prosimians. It developed and expanded into a small (0.81 ha) but mature zoological facility that maintained various species seldom seen elsewhere in captivity. They struggled for a few years to keep the zoo open to the public year round, but finally at the end of September 2010 they decided they could no longer be open daily to the public, and would only open when they could manage - to be announced on their website. They renovated and rebuilt many indoor enclosures (jaguarundi, tayra, lesser grison, sand cat and rusty-spotted cats) and reopened after some delay in April 2011. The total makeover of the indoor area was greatly appreciated by the animals as well as the visitors. Nevertheless they had to close to the public again at the end of summer 2011. So far the work is carried on, but currently RSCC is closed to the public although it was open some days in October 2012. These days had to be booked online and were announced on their facebook page.

But Todd Dalton proved to be a man of perseverance. New species arrived, such as tarsiers, cuscus and even Malayan tigers, and the rumours of a re-opening were supported by the announcement of a brand new website in 2014. Indeed, the RSCC re-opened with still a rather unique collection of rare predators on display, such as boky-boky and Europe's only breeding pair of fanalokas. The adjacent garden centre of about 3.5 ha had been acquired and was under development - with the 0.5 ha Malayan tiger exhibit already completed. Unfortunately, in summer 2015 the news came through that the RSCC would be sold or closed. It turned out to be the latter, in 31 August 2015 due to lack of funds. This time permanently, as announced on their facebook page that is still alive. They will not reopen but they still continue with a reduced species breeding programme and they will do private tours. Private event bookings and open days are scheduled for later on in future, at least they hope.

As of 9 January 2017 the former RSCC site has been taken over by the nearby Wingham Wildlife Park. Hence, the newly acquired land will be turned into a sister centre called Sandwich Wildlife Park. An exact date for the grand opening was not given, other than it would be in 2018.

The site at Sandwich is expected to be home to clouded leopards, maned wolves, ring-tailed lemurs and other species, and will provide accommodation for overnight visitors.

A lot of clearing work was necessary, which included removing and trimming back much of the bamboo growth that happened due to lack of gardening in the previous two years. Additional grounds work was needed, and major re-work of the old bear enclosure to drastically increase its size. Moreover, they are re-designing and putting up new signage in the park, including educational signs at the animal enclosures. The official opening will be announced on the new website.

(Source: Wikipedia; website Open Charities; The IZES Guide to British Zoos & Aquariums by Tim Brown; ZOO grapevine winter 2014/15 and summer 2015; former website The Monkey Rainforest; RSCC facebook page; KentOnline news, 12.01.2017, 28.04.2018)

Visit(s)

18.08.2011

I was lucky to travel the South of England in the summer of 2011 while the Rare Species Conservation Centre was still open to the public. After summer the RSCC was closed to the public and only opened for a few days now and again.

Part of the RSCC mission (full mission statement here) is to educate visitors and create awareness of the plight of some of the world's lesser-known rare and endangered animal species, but entertainment or recreation is not set as a task. Which is made clear at the sign at the entrance that reads:

The Centre is a small specialised facility dedicated to the care and breeding of rare & endangered species of small carnivore. ….............we are not here to be a visitor attraction rather a facility you are able to learn more about and appreciate more of these seldom seen species, and you may not always be able to see them at first glance. …...........

Please note that there is no children's playground on-site, …......

…..... The Rare Species Conservation Trust is a small charity aimed at the conservation of rare & endangered species that are lesser known. We do not make a profit and the Centre is assisted by a team of dedicated and unpaid volunteers. All monies taken by way of ticket sales only cover about 40% of our annual cost to feed and keep the animals, not to mention our in-situ conservation work in the field, or our on site facility improvements. ….....
(Panel text at RSCC entrance)

They renovated and rebuilt the complete indoor area during the winter of 2010/11, and they did a marvellous job. This small breeding centre is located on less than 1 hectare, of which the larger part is dedicated to the outdoor facilities. So, they had to work with little space to make the indoor enclosures comfortable and fit-for-purpose for species such as tayra, smooth-coated otter, black-footed cat and others.

After having coffee in the small though modern café annex gift shop with friendly staff, I entered the indoor area. They keep quite a few species in captivity, so the enclosures are rather small. Many of the exhibits provide viewing via windows, meaning that the interior of the enclosure is completely separated from the exterior. This offers the opportunity to control the enclosure's climate independent from the main hall when necessary.

They created a damp rainforest atmosphere in the main hall with a small creek and a footpath leading along the enclosures. Each of the enclosures contains specific features that resemble the species' original habitat. The Arabian sand cat (Felis margarita harrisoni) exhibit for instance has got a desert-like look with sandy coloured walls and artificial rocks that provide shelter as well as observation posts. And the rusty-spotted cat, which had kittens on April 25 this year, has an enclosure with jungle-like features including a rock face, trees/foliage and a high level platform to do what most cats like, observe things from above. All of the enclosures have woodchips bottom covering.

The most intriguing animals I thought were the tayra (Eira barbara) which I had never seen before, and the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). Both were exceptions to the concept of climatised enclosure. The two tayra from South America were housed in two wire mesh cages that were connected and had many tree trunks and some resting platforms at different levels. One of the animals was very active, showing its climbing capabilities while running around the enclosure. Across the hall the male and female smooth-coated otter were fed during my visit (see the video). These otters are the largest species of otter in South East Asia, and they have the shortest fur of any otter species. Fisherman in Asia often train them to catch fish for them. The two specimens in RSCC are the only ones outside of Asia, they came from a reserve centre in Cambodia.

Another interesting species kept at RSCC is the fanaloka or Malagasay civet (Fossa fossana). This is a member of a group of ancient carnivores known as Euplerids, which are unique to Madagascar. As a breeding centre for rare and endangered species I had been wondering why they were not involved in any of the EAZA Ex situ Programmes (EEPs), but according to an information panel at the enclosure they were coordinating the start of an EEP for the fanaloka, which by the way has not materialised yet.

Other species in the indoor area not mentioned yet, were:
- jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi);
- ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans);
- boky-boky (Mungotictis decemlineata); Most insectivorous of the Malagasay carnivores, and one of the smallest;
- Bengal slow lori (Nycticebus bengalensis);
- fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Chierogaleus medius)

When I went outside the first thing I noticed that although small it had a spacious feel about it. The design of the area, kind of landscape immersion, with the elevated boardwalks, the foliage and the wooden cabins with thatched roofs contributed to this feeling perhaps. The fishing cat enclosure provided ample opportunities for the cats to hide with lots of bamboo and bushes around. Furthermore it had a stream and a little pond to enable the cat to express natural behaviour, although the pond would not contain live fish, I suppose. The male and female fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) both had their own enclosure adjacent to each other, which probably made it easy to join them or keep them separate when necessary.

The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is the smallest of the hyena family and a species hard to keep in captivity because of their specific diet. They survive solely on a diet of termites, and it is very difficult to get them eat something else (with the same nutritious value of course). I had excellent view on the open-topped enclosure and its inhabitants from above when standing on the elevated boardwalk.

Both the clouded leopard and snow leopard enclosures were empty at the time of my visit. The snow leopard was translocated and they expected new specimens to arrive soon. I do not know if this really happened yet. The snow leopard enclosure had only two small viewing windows which prohibited that the animal(s) would be too exposed to the public. The enclosure had all the features a Himalayan cat would wish for, high level observation post, some tree trunks and slate surface with several rocks. Unfortunately the exhibit was very small.

The Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) enclosure formed the centre piece of the outdoor area, as it is surrounded by the other enclosures. Still, you had access to several spots where you could see one of the bears resting on some climbing poles.

To conclude, this small breeding centre and zoological institution comprises everything that made the trip worthwhile. Others who have visited and reviewed the RSCC have seen many different species than I have. So, it seems that they change their animal collection quite frequently. Nevertheless, I agree with Tim Brown of the Independent Zoo Enthusiast Society (IZES), that it is a little gem that has some remarkable species on display and several great enclosures. Nevertheless, the premises is small and there is a limit to zoo design regarding number of species to house in fit-for-purpose exhibits. I would say they reached the limits of the possibilities there. Unfortunately they are closed to the public at the moment.