DEW Haven is truly a fascinating place tucked away in Mt Vernon Maine. YEARS ago, I was directed there with my kids when staying in Belgrade Lakes. At that time it was just the founder Bob Miner and his wife giving tours. Now DH has grown to be a sprawling animal sanctuary that even had a short stint reality TV show at one point (really sad that did not continue). Currently, with all of the expansion, it is now hard for visitors to get a sense of how Bob started the sanctuary by taking in exotic animals seized by the Maine warden service and how creating a sanctuary for those animals helped him heal from PTSD he was experiencing as a Vietnam veteran. I almost wish there was a welcome video in the visitors center... In any case, this is an incredible spot to check out if you happen to be in the area! read more

Great family day! It's not huge, there isn't a ton of animals - but a good variety of "exotic" (to Maine) animals - a couple lions, few tigers, couple bears, a camel, some donkeys, deer, lots of goats, some exotic birds, a few different types of monkeys etc... Currently $15 for teens-adults and $10 for kiddos, plus you can buy feed - just note, you cannot feed most of the animals - primarily only the goats & deer... A nice little gift shop etc... They DO take credit cards now. read more

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I just moved to the Augusta-area and I have been looking for interesting things to do. I saw a sign for D.E.W. Animal Kingdom on my drive home one day and thought it'd be a fun activity for company. And this past weekend I got my chance to visit. We were drawn first to the primates. There were all sorts of monkeys, but I really couldn't tell you what kinds. I know there was a Gibbon for sure and beyond the monkeys was a Servil which is lovely leopard-like cat. Then we encountered a pair of pacing lions, but our attention was quickly caught by a duo of amorous tigers! Medena the Hyena was a close runner-up after the tigers. We got to watch her devour a scapula and listen to her bizarre "mooing" sounds. Farther along was another group of lions which was very entertaining to watch as they were quite playful. Other animals that we saw included mountain lions, black leopards, lynx, a snarling bob-cat, slobbering camels, cavis, kangaroos, wallabies, ponies, donkeys, deer, pot-bellied pigs, wolves, zebras, a kookaburra, tortoises and a baby Siberian tiger cub. Oh, and D.E.W. stands for Domestic Exotic Wild and is a haven for all sorts of interesting animals. You can learn a lot about their mission on the website, but a lot of the animals have been rescued. Other things to remember: Wear footwear that you don't mind getting muddy (my companion regretted his choice of flip-flops) Bring bug spray (it's black fly season now and the mosquitoes will be here soon) Cash only read more

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My family and I went to Dew Haven because we all love animals. There was a great selection of animals, although we were disappointed that it was more of a zoo than a sanctuary. The biggest problem however was with the owner. In addition to watching him taunt the lions and feed a gibbon monkey M&Ms, we had to suffer a racist statement that he made to the crowd when standing by a lion's cage. I will not repeat his racist remark, but suffice it to say that it is a shame that the owner would put on such a racist display in front of so many children. Racism in America will never end as long as people like him continue to spout their hateful comments. Beware! read more

The owner is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with people whom come to visit. They also share updates on their social media about the animals and if there is any closures. read more

Had way more fun then I thought. Fed bears, goats some other hooves creature I don't remember the name but it was from Africa. We got their before a rush. Private dirt parking lot. You can buy cones inside to feed the animals, but you can only feed them in the beginning. Past a certain point you have to get rid of the food. Great experience. Must try especially if you have kids that love animals. The grounds are clean. Wow the tiger!!! I never realized how big tigers are. Have to go if you love animals!! read more

This is a great place to see animals of all kinds. Such a nice place to bring your family to. They take wonderful care of their animals and the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

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Took my kids and grandkids here and had an amazing day! So much more close up and hands on then the zoo's and animal parks. Can't wait to go back this year! read more

Really impressed! Nice little place with lots of exotic animals. We got a deal on Groupon for $10 / 2 admissions to the Sanctuary. They have everything from farm animals (piggies, donkeys) to the more exotic (black bears and big cats). There is just one pass to follow from beginning to end, we made two passes - the second time for the sake of taking pictures, some of the sleepy ones woke up and was more active. We bought some animal food for $1 in a cone and for the cages with purple tags they are allowed to be fed. We came to the goats first, who are very hungry and eager to eat food from your hand. Lemurs and parrots are inside of cages inside the big cage. There are also other types of four legged animals, Donkey, Potbelly pigs, Ram, baby Deers, and a few lovable Llama! The little ducks are so cute, they roam around the place with their mommies freely and transverse between your legs. We soon reached an area with an adult black bear - can be fed through a large tube, and a pair of adorable baby bears (very actively playing). The big cats are quite awesome, leopards, lions and the most gorgeous tigers I ever seen. The furs was beautiful. Then the primates, with the cutest gibbons and monkeys, making extremely human-like expressions and behavior. I learned a lot since some of them I have never seen before. Very fun experience, natural and intimate setting, I definitely liked it better than some of the zoo I have been to in the past. read more

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This place is phenomenal!! Come check out this great little animal sanctuary. Don't miss seeing it during the tour with the owner Bob. You will learn all about each animal and the story of how he ended up caring for it. He handles every animal himself including the big cats and bears. He and his wife are completely dedicated to preservation and care of animals. They sometimes have baby big cats which are great to see. There are bears deer a parrot tigers lions monkeys turtles and more. This is my favorite place to see these amazing animals and even learn about them. read more

This place is amazing! I don't know how anyone could ever give it a one star. All the employees were super nice and friendly. The owner showed off the tigers and gave a small talk about them. They had a little blurb about each animal in front of each enclosure. They also had little cups of food so that you could feed the animals through shoots at a safe distance for kids and adults. We had so much fun here and would definitely go again. It makes me happy that all the animals are so well cared for. They are doing super well handling the pandemic. 10/10 recommend! We love DEW haven. read more

Can't get enough of this place. absolutely love the atmosphere and the message. The operators truly care for each animal individually and you can often find either husband or wife interacting with the animals even if you don't go on their tour. But really though. Go on their tour! You won't regret it. Wear your comfortable shoes or boots. Not buggy at all! read more

Great place to take the kids. We've been coming here for years and years. The owners love their animals, this year we noticed lots of improvement to their enclosures, seemed very clean. read more

Much larger layout and variety of animals that we expected! Definitely worth the day trip drive to the bit off the beaten path location.

I visited this place last summer and fell in love with it. The guy who runs the place is amazing. You can tell these animals are family and they love him as much as he loves them. The story of his he started this is incredible. I'm hoping to visit again, soon, before this summer is over. read more

This was so much fun! As someone who has worked in museum settings as an educator and with animals, I was excited to be there. I enjoyed the signage, and appreciate how difficult it can be to control excited visitors. I've already been asked if we can return (by a teen- and we know how hard they are to please!). Definitely get the bucket of feed and save the cone for the bears! read more

Awesome place! I was a fan of the show and wanted to stop her on my road trip up to UMaine. This place far exceeded my expectations. The animals all looked to be well cared for and the exhibits were all very large. It was absolutely gorgeous all around. The owner was amazingly friendly! Bob was standing right out front, greeting visitors. He made the experience incredible. The gift shop had a nice variety of items. I'm so glad we decided to stop by. There is literally not a shred of doubt in my mind that these animals are well taken care of, loved and living their lives to the fullest potential. Ignore all the negative comments, this place is fantastic! read more

We were just at Dew Haven it is an animal sanctuary pens are clean Staff is friendly animals are very well care for

This place is AMAZING!!!! So fun for kids and adults. It is spotlessly clean. You can tell these animals are loved and well cared for. This is a true non profit rescue Haven. Each animal has a cool story of how they got rescued. You can buy feed when you go in to feed to animals. You can even feed Bears through a slide apparatus connected to the pen. We loved it and so did our daughter (age 8). There were kids of all ages there. We met the owner and his wife who were both so authentic, lovely and so knowledgeable. We saw the wife feed a baby lion cub 9 weeks old! No they do not breed their animals but accidents do happen. This will be our go to spot every time we are in this part of Maine. LOVED IT!!!! We are a rescue family so this was right up our alley and we give it the thumbs up. I don't know what those other people who said the animals were dirty or not well cared for were talking about. I saw one post about the wolves being covered. They were. However There was a sign saying that the state of Maine won't accept their wolf DNA testing showing they're 100% wolf and not hybrids so they cannot put them on display under state law. But they didn't get rid of them so that tells you what the intentions of these people are. To help animals! Do not miss this place! read more

What a wonderful place to spend a few hours with your kids! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The animals are obviously well cared for. The grounds are clean and the entry prices and gift shop prices are reasonable. How fortunate there are people like Bob and his wife and family who are so dedicated to the care and well-being of animals. read more