About EPR

	Merlin - Capuchin Monkey

Founded in 1985 by Pam Mansfield and her late husband, Mel, the Exotic Pet Refuge began life in the caring couple's home nine years earlier.

“Someone came to us one day with an injured bird – and it all snowballed from there, with more and more creatures being brought to us!” said Pam. “By 1984, we became a charity and many years later on we needed to move to our current four-acre premises.”

A full-time housewife prior to this, Pam also held down many part-time jobs before the refuge demanded every waking hour of her life. Now assisted by her son Darren, his partner Samantha and a small team of regular voulenteers, they now care for over 400 creatures who will live out the rest of their lives at the refuge - everything from monkeys & snakes to a baby lynx!

Recognising the need for a refuge specialising in exotic creatures, the Refuge focuses only on these and British wildlife.

"Caring for this genre of animal is so demanding it requires total dedication from us all. This means that come rain or shine, sickness or tradegy, fear or love we concentrate on out many residents first." said Darren. "Holidays are a distant memory and we have to take it in turns to go out for the day, but we wouldn't change it for the world - the refuge is our way of life."

“This is a 24/7 job – you don't get time for holidays or any other time off,” said Pam. “For instance, when an animal is sick, it comes into my home for special care. The refuge is my entire life.”

Costing over £45,000 a year to run, the Refuge is extremely grateful to all forms of help offered - be it donations, food, delayed payments or work as a volunteer. £14,000 of this money is raised from the six open days every year, where the public are invited to visit the animals at the Refuge in order to raise funds to care for them. It's not only the animals who benefit from the Exotic Pet Refuge, however, as many youngsters and people with special learning needs also turn to Pam for work experience.

“It's great to see their how well they respond to the birds and animals – even if they have problems communicating well with other people,” said Pam.

Pam's work also caught the attention of animal enthusiast of Steve Backshall, presenter of BBCs Really Wild Show, who in 2006 agreed to be the refuge's patron.

If you would like to become a volunteer, make a donation or arrange a visit to the Exotic Pet Refuge, then please see the Contact Us section and get in touch!