I'd be more than happy to give you a walk-through review of Tropical World, considering the chances that the photos you were looking at were probably mine. I actually had plans to write a review and post it here on ZooChat, but I never got around to it in the end!
(I apologise in advance if this is a poor review. I've never actually written a review on ZooChat before.
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Review of Tropical World:
Living relatively close-by, I've made a few trips to Tropical World throughout my lifetime, but not many since childhood. My two visits last year were the only visits I have made to the place in about a decade.
Tropical World is bigger than your typical butterfly house attraction, but I wouldn't describe it as a "big" collection with many unique species. The admission fee is very reasonable (£3.30 is the standard for adults, while it is £2.20 for children under 15 years of age.)
You begin your journey into "Tropical World" by firstly crossing through a beach-themed area called Step Ashore. The idea of this area is that it is meant to simulate your arrival upon a tropical island. There isn't much in the way of animal exhibits here, besides a small enclosure for Cochin-Chinese Red Junglefowl and a number of walled insect and amphib displays.
Passing through Step Ashore and you enter the butterfly section of Tropical World, which is very heavily planted and very humid. There weren't many butterflies frolicking around when I visited in the middle of the winter, but I'd imagine there'd be a lot more during the summer. You pass through the butterfly house over a network of suspended walkways and bridges, which also extend over large ponds teeming with impressive specimens of koi. I noticed a few signs indicating that there were also tilapia in the ponds with the koi, but I couldn't spot any. I also noticed that there were a number of teals, giant snails and freshwater turtles at liberty in the area, and there were also ropes suspended above the walkways and through the vegetation for leaf-cutter ants. A couple of months back I received a newsletter from Tropical World which stated they were having to cut back a lot of the vegetation in the butterfly house due to a parasite. I'm not sure what the parasite situation is like now.
After leaving the butterfly house you enter the aquarium section. All tanks on display here are of the freshwater variety. One of the latest, and most exciting, additions to this area is the Morelet's crocodiles. There are three of them and once they reach full adult size they are to be moved into the South America House (
here, I presume.) Other fish displayed in this area include tilapia, African cichlids and arowana. One of my childhood favourites in the aquarium section is the amazon tank, which is half-submerged and home to large specimens of pacu, Redtail catfish, Niger catfish and Tiger Shovelnose catfish, plus various others. Suspended above the amazon tank, on a set of intertwined logs, lives a Green Iguana. I recall, as a child, seeing an Iguana free roaming in the South America House, but I'm not sure if they're still allowed to do this.
Leaving behind the aquarium section, you enter the Australasia House. Whilst small in size when compared to the other sections of Tropical World, this area is very well-kept and beautifully planted - It isn't at all surprising that this area has featured in film and television! By far the centrepiece of this area is a large pool complete with a waterfall which you can stand behind for a quick cool down! There aren't many animals to be found in this area, but I did spot a few Pied Imperial Pigeons roaming freely in the vegetation, as well as a few freshwater turtles in a small enclosed pond.
The Creature Corner area is next up. This area features exhibits for small mammals, insects and reptiles - the latter of which heavily dominates this area. The reptiles displayed in this area are mostly constrictors (Yellow Anacondas, Jaimacan Boas and Burmese Pythons) but there are also a few lizards (Bearded Dragons is all I can remember, sorry!) The only mammals on display in this area are Belanger's tree-shrews, which have a small enclosure nestled between tanks for some very large constrictors!
The South America House is the next section you encounter on your route through Tropical World, and it is probably the largest section by size. You visit this section two times; first at a higher level, and then for a second time at ground level after you leave the nocturnal house. For its size, it really doesn't feature as many animals as you'd first expect. There are a number of Fulvous whistling ducks, teals and Ibis which are left to roam freely in the house, but that's about it. It is planned that when the Morelet's Crocodiles grow to their full adult size, they'll be relocated here. There are a number of large ponds in the South America House, and one of them is more than suitable enough for the crocodiles.
Leading out of the South America House you are guided into the Desert House. This section is home to a large mob of meerkats, which tend to be Tropical World's most popular residents. Other animals in this section include tortoises, a Sudanese plated lizard, and a few passerine birds (Canaries, Weevers and Finches). I thought Tropical World did a commendable job of creating an authentic desert environment.
After the Desert House, you enter the final themed section of Tropical World, the Nocturnal House. The Nocturnal House at Tropical World is of a reasonable size with exhibits for Pygmy slow loris, Bolivian douroucouli (the only ones in a public collection in the UK), Greater Egyptian Jerboa (Tropical World is one of only two public collections in the UK where you can see these), Lesser Hegdehog-tenrecs, and of course, bats (Egyptian fruit bats, to be precise!) Upon leaving the nocturnal house, you conclude your trip through Tropical World by passing one final enclosure for Golden lion tamarins. There are also two outdoor enclosures for Ring-tailed Lemurs and Cotton-top tamarins.
I hope this review is acceptable. If you have any questions, feel free to forward them to me!
