March 8, 2023 11.00 am This story is over 27 months old

Beautiful rescued wildcats to get new home at Lincolnshire wildlife park

A happy home for the first time
Two caracals will be arriving at the Ark in Stickney after being rescued | Photo: The Ark

A Lincolnshire wildlife park will welcome two beautiful wildcats this weekend.

The caracals, named Hachie and Sweety, were confiscated in Holland where they had been kept illegally by a private owner.

The Ark Wildlife Park at Stickney, near Boston, is a sanctuary for animals rescued from the exotic pet trade, and were asked if they could provide a permanent home.

A custom-build habitat coined ‘Caracal Glade’ has been prepared for them.

The athletic cats will be able to enjoy climbing platforms and suspended structures, giving them a suitable environment for the first time in their lives.

Sanctuaries like the Ark have seen a rise in smaller wildcats such as caracals needing to be rehoused after they were unwisely bought as pets. 

Hachie and Sweety will be closely monitored after their arrival. If settled and happy, the new enclosure will be open for viewing to visitors from March 25th.

Hatchie and Sweety will arrive at their new home this weekend | Photo: The Ark

It will be a busy weekend for the Ark, with three more Barbary Macaques also arriving.

They are relatively elderly females who have endured awful conditions whilst being kept as privately-owned pets.

Thanks to the Ark, they can live out their retirement in a large interactive enclosure with views across the Lincolnshire countryside. 

Macaques already living at the Ark | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

They will join Dennis and Ciri, who were rescued from the pet trade in Spain in 2022.

Jamie Mintram, co-owner of the Ark, said: ”It’s certainly going to be a busy Saturday for us, but we’ll have two teams on hand – one to care for the macaques and the other helping the caracals to settle in.

“It’s sad that these animals need our help in the first place, but we’re glad that we can help them lead a much better life then what they had been used too”.

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