Tropical World is ready to welcome families back for the first time since it closed in March because of the pandemic. On Monday 17 August, Tropical World and the shop will be open daily from 10am to 4pm. Last entry is at 3:30pm. The café will also be opening daily from 10am to 3:30pm.
A conservatory building, named the Coronation House, in the Canal Gardens of Roundhay Park was modernised in 1984 and opened as a butterfly house in 1988, named Tropical World. Birds, fish, reptiles and small mammals accompanied rare and unusual tropical plants. In 2015, Tropical World reopened following a two-year refurbishment worth £1.5 million. The aquarium section was extensively revamped in particular, complete with new species and an Aztec theme. The attraction is composed of several climate-controlled glass houses, each replicating a tropical environment from around the world. The houses contain tropical plants and live animals, including some which roam freely, such as butterflies and turtles.
The attraction is home to terrapins, Morelet’s crocodiles, poison dart frogs, axolotl, clownfish, octopus, stingrays, seahorse, red-bellied piranhas and catfish. The following rainforest floor section is themed after the rainforest floor and features a tumbling waterfall, tropical fish, leafcutter ants, terrestrial birds and butterfly pupae. There are reptile displays, including snakes, lizards and iguanas. A rainforest canopy house features free-flying birds, including parrots, as well as cotton-top tamarins. It leads into a desert house featuring a mob of meerkats, tortoises and birds. The final house is a nocturnal house, featuring bats, armadillos, Malagasy giant rats, Egyptian fruit bats, pygmy slow loris, mouse lemurs and potoroos.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment and active lifestyles, said: “I’m thrilled that Tropical World is finally able to reopen after what has been an extremely tough few months for our visitor attractions and city as a whole.
“A range of additional safety measures have been put into place to make sure visits are as safe as possible and social distancing can be adhered to. With the summer holidays in full swing, I hope families will be encouraged to give Tropical World a visit.”
Families visiting on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays in August will also receive a 50 per cent discount (up to a maximum of £10 per head) on all eat-in refreshments bought in the venue’s café as part of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
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