Natureland Seal Sanctuary

Natureland Seal Sanctuary, also referred to as Skegness Natureland or Skegness Seal Sanctuary is an animal attraction in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England.

Natureland Seal Sanctuary
Common seal at the Seal Sanctuary
AbbreviationNatureland
Formation1965
Legal statusNon-profit organisation
PurposeSeals in East Lindsey
Location
Region served
East Lindsey coast
Membership
Seals
WebsiteNSS

Attractions

Natureland is a seal sanctuary, with a seal hospital, a small zoo, tropical glasshouses (known as the 'Floral Palace') and an aquarium.[1] Animals include seals, African penguins, crocodiles, goats, tarantulas, snakes, terrapins, scorpions, as well as tropical butterflies and birds.[2][3] Glasshouses contain many exotic plants, including cacti from the US, Mediterranean shrubs and banana plants.[4]

In the seal hospital, orphaned seal pups are reared before eventually being released back into the wild.[5] 30-60 seals are rescued by Natureland each winter.[6][7] In April 2018 Natureland rescued their 800th seal.[8]

The seals are trained to perform some simple tricks at feeding times, which some visitors might object to, from an ethical standpoint.[9]

Facilities at the centre include a cafe/restaurant, gift shop, customer toilets and a small area for children to try their hand at activities including brass rubbing.

It is situated on North Parade, next to the beach, and open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. There is a fee for entry.[10]

History

Before Natureland was opened there were butterfly houses, known even then as the 'Floral Palace', an aquarium and a gift shop at the site, which was run by an investment company based in Manchester.[3]

Natureland was founded in 1965 by John Yeadon, when it was opened by Princess Margaret and the attraction is still run by Yeadon's family.[8][3]

African penguin at Natureland in 2005

In 1966/67 Natureland featured in the BBC children's television programme Blue Peter and was visited by John Noakes.[3]

In 1981 Natureland rescued a walrus, which they named 'Wally', which had strayed from the animals' usual Arctic range.[11] It is rare for walruses to visit the United Kingdom and then they are usually only seen around the Scottish islands.

In 2012 Natureland rescued a rare hooded seal, which had travelled to Lincolnshire all the way from Greenland.[12]

In 2015 a television series about the attraction ran on Estuary TV.[13] and in 2017 BBC One ran a feature about Natureland on a programme called Countryfile Winter Diaries.[14]

See also

References
  1. Educational Visits UK
  2. Hennessy, Peter (2018-12-27). "11 things to do on the Lincolnshire coast during winter". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  3. "Natureland in Skegness celebrates its half-century". www.skegnessstandard.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  4. "Floral Palace & Tropical Butterflies". Skegness Natureland. 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  5. O'Flinn, Holly (2018-07-05). "Fishing wire nearly killed this seal - but look at her now!". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  6. "Winter storm 'battered seals' released". BBC. 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  7. "Seal rescue centre 'almost full'". BBC. 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  8. O'Flinn, Holly (2018-04-14). "Watch as two seals are released in milestone moment for rescue centre". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  9. Skegness Attractions - Skegness Natureland Seal Sanctuary
  10. "Opening Times". Skegness Natureland. 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  11. Skegness Standard - Seal Sanctuary Reaches Major Rescue Landmark
  12. Metro - Lost Seal Pup Winds Up In Skegness After 3200km Trip From Greenland
  13. IMDB - Access All Areas: Natureland Seal Sanctuary, Skegness
  14. The Skegness Siren - Natureland on TV


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