After making a complete rookie mistake on trying to visit Beale Park today (it's closed for winter, who'd have thought it?), we found ourselves with no zoo to visit, but as we were in the general vicinity of The Living Rainforest, we headed there. We've been there once nearly two years ago, and my boyfriend has been pretty clear that he didn't much like the place. I was willing to give it another try, but was a little reserved, remembering how small it was.
Well, it was smaller than I remembered, and nothing much had really changed in two years. The toucan aviary had been updated with new mesh, with a sign announcing it as a new exhibit for 2018 (otherwise it looked the same). The new extension from a few years back has lost species already, no marsh crabs, the varanus species replaced with a green iguana, no visible mudskippers. The snake enclosures in the far corner were interesting for comparing two species of tree boas, but otherwise not much to mention. There are some free flying birds, including a rather impressive Yellow-knobbed Curassow, but it could do with a few more small, active species to add interest
This visit I also noticed now uninspiring some of the planting is. For somewhere touting itself as a rainforest, seeing standard garden centre species hanging in the pots they were purchased in just looked shoddy (for the record, I've worked in a Botanic garden and visited many others, and grow orchids and carnivorous plants at home, so I know it doesn't take too much to make and keep planting looking nice. I recognised some species still in the pots they came in as the same as specimens in my own collection). I'm not saying there aren't impressive specimen plants there, but they could be presented in a much more inspired way.
The price is also quite high for what is an hour-long visit, although every ticket is automatically a year pass. It's somewhere I wouldn't mind popping into on the way back from somewhere else, but I don't think it's somewhere to actively aim for in its own right. It does seem to have a loyal base of local visitors, and the kids we saw there seemed to love it. It would be good if they stopped people taking buggies in, the paths are just too narrow for them.
So, after this unintended second visit, I can now see more of the flaws my partner saw last time. In my opinion though the place has potential, and with a bit of tidying up, more 'levels' for ticket types to reduce cost for one-off visits, more inspired planting, a few more birds, and maybe even some outside exhibits if possible, the place could be much better and aim higher than it currently does.
Well, it was smaller than I remembered, and nothing much had really changed in two years. The toucan aviary had been updated with new mesh, with a sign announcing it as a new exhibit for 2018 (otherwise it looked the same). The new extension from a few years back has lost species already, no marsh crabs, the varanus species replaced with a green iguana, no visible mudskippers. The snake enclosures in the far corner were interesting for comparing two species of tree boas, but otherwise not much to mention. There are some free flying birds, including a rather impressive Yellow-knobbed Curassow, but it could do with a few more small, active species to add interest
This visit I also noticed now uninspiring some of the planting is. For somewhere touting itself as a rainforest, seeing standard garden centre species hanging in the pots they were purchased in just looked shoddy (for the record, I've worked in a Botanic garden and visited many others, and grow orchids and carnivorous plants at home, so I know it doesn't take too much to make and keep planting looking nice. I recognised some species still in the pots they came in as the same as specimens in my own collection). I'm not saying there aren't impressive specimen plants there, but they could be presented in a much more inspired way.
The price is also quite high for what is an hour-long visit, although every ticket is automatically a year pass. It's somewhere I wouldn't mind popping into on the way back from somewhere else, but I don't think it's somewhere to actively aim for in its own right. It does seem to have a loyal base of local visitors, and the kids we saw there seemed to love it. It would be good if they stopped people taking buggies in, the paths are just too narrow for them.
So, after this unintended second visit, I can now see more of the flaws my partner saw last time. In my opinion though the place has potential, and with a bit of tidying up, more 'levels' for ticket types to reduce cost for one-off visits, more inspired planting, a few more birds, and maybe even some outside exhibits if possible, the place could be much better and aim higher than it currently does.
