Tropical World, located in Roundhay Park is a simulated rainforest walkaround. It's home to many exotic animals, including spiders, frogs, butterflies, aquatic life and the famous meerkats.
It's been around for a long time, at least since I was little. I remember going all the time as a kid (mainly to get a stuffed animal from the gift shop) and I enjoyed it. The butterfly house was humid and had that faint smell of damp and occasionally you would see a spec of green, blue or orange from one of the insects.
It was always quite a fun time, and probably still is for children. However, recently LeedsLive reported that a visitor took her friend from the US to the Tropical World and she came away disappointed and "embarrased" at what it had become.
Read More: Noel Gallagher spotted posing with fans in queue at Leeds Bradford Airport
So, in true journalistic fashion, I took myself to Roundhay for a wander round the venue, to see what had changed and if I thought it was lacking as many said on social media. First of all, it was cheaper than I thought but frankly considering the inside, I wouldn't have expected to pay more.
For an adult without a discount card, it's £7.50. I was happy to pay that for a trip down nostalgia lane but that's really all it was, a memory that was quickly defunct when I saw the state of the place.
Now, I will prefix this by saying it wasn't awful, it was just lacking in places - namely the exhibits. Let's start with the butterfly house.
This is at the start of the one-way route and it was exactly as I remember, the smells, the heat, but there were fewer butterflies, I think I counted five on my way around.
That's hardly a criticism though, the butterflies aren't performing for visitors but they are the namesake of the whole first part of the tour so I'd expect to see a little more.
By this point, the heat had got so much my phone popped up saying: "Phone temperature too high, quality may be affected" which was a little unnerving, But I persevered, it was a 'rainforest' after all.
Next, I came to the area with snakes and some fish. This was okay, but everything had a sort of dirtiness to it. I'm all for realism but it just seemed old and in need of a refurb.
This was the vibe of the whole attraction, to be honest. The visitors on social media said it was dirty and there were dead leaves and I agree, it just seemed in need of a spruce up.
The rest of the place was okay. For £7.50 I was expecting more - perhaps I was entering with rose-tinted glasses expecting it to be the same as when I was seven but no.
The animals that were there were interesting for sure. Having an exotic wildlife park on the doorstep of Leeds is nice but I feel it either needs to update itself or update the animals because quite a few exhibits were missing the main attraction.
The strangest part was the fact that everything was almost exactly the same. In the decade and a half since I last visited nothing had really been updated from what I could see.
I wouldn't call it depressing or embarrassing but there were a number of tanks without animals, the meerkats made up a mob of about four and the lone croc in his tank was a little bit sad to see. I'm not saying these animals are not happy - I cannot know - but I did get a sense that the cafe had more money funnelled into than the exhibits.
Once the initial nostalgia had worn off I did see Tropical World for what it was. A seemingly underwhelming experience that is either highly accurate regarding Amazonian deforestation or in dire need of a makeover.
Following on from the article about the visitor review of Tropical World. A spokesperson for Leeds City Council issued a statement explaining a few things, it said:
“The onsite team, animal keepers, gardeners and site management at Tropical World work tirelessly to keep on top of the demands of the site and to provide an enjoyable and pleasant experience for visitors. As anyone who has visited Tropical World knows, the site is made up of a large range of exhibits, each with their own unique maintenance requirements, we are sorry that in this case those requirements and other unforeseen circumstances have resulted in a less enjoyable experience.
“With the hot weather, we are increasing watering, however, this is always done regularly, and the plants are tended to by experienced gardeners. There are repair works underway on the swordtail tank, enhancements to the South American House and the bird pond, and a new meerkat mob being introduced to the site – all of which have resulted in the implementation of temporary measures. The swordtail tank repair and meerkat equipment position is due to be resolved in the coming days.
“There are ongoing plans to enhance Tropical World, to introduce new enclosures and species for the public to enjoy. We take all feedback very seriously and incorporate it into the way that we develop and run the attraction. Visitors are free to ask questions of animal keepers, gardeners, and visitor services staff as they pass through site if they have any questions or concerns.”
Read next:
