Crocodile and other creatures heading to Stratford soon
IT will be a first for Stratford when a croc on a rock goes on show at Stratford Butterfly Farm at the end of the month.
A unique exhibition featuring a spectacled caiman crocodile and other creatures from the rainforests of Central America will be revealed for families to enjoy just in time for Easter.
The attraction - Rainforest Realm – also includes an emerald tree boa snake, a chameleon, orange blackfoot dart frogs and baby yellow spotted Amazon River turtles.
The male caiman would normally live in and around cenotes which are natural sinkholes formed by the collapse of limestone that fill up with ground water.
Caimans are oportunist hunters, feeding on a variety of prey including crabs, fish, small mammals and invertebrates.
At the heart of the exhibition is a replicated cenote, complete with a water cascade and a deep and shallow pool. The ancient Maya sourced water from the cenotes which were respected as sacred places, symbolic of both life and death. The creatures found in and around a cenote include frogs, iguanas, and crocodiles.
The owner of Stratford Butterfly Farm, Clive Farrell, had a dream to create an attraction that would introduce visitors to the wonderment of butterflies 38 years ago. The butterfly farm opened in 1985 and has since welcomed over four million visitors.
On Friday, 31st March, Clive will officially open the new attraction at 10am with specially invited guests. The butterfly farm will then welcome the public from 10.30am.
Jane Kendrick, marketing manager at Stratford Butterfly Farm said: “We are thrilled to open this exciting new exhibition which will enhance our visitor experience. At present no other attraction in the UK or Europe are housing their reptiles in a cenote so this is a one-of-a-kind display. The project has taken 14 months to complete and will enable our visitors to see this beautiful predator in a fun and safe environment.”
The Butterfly Farm will host several activities for the Easter Holidays from 1st to 16th April including the new exhibition, plus mini-beast handling sessions, demonstrations in the Discovery Zone and a competition to win family entrance tickets to the butterfly farm.
Beekeeper Matthew Ingram from Holt Hall Apiary in Norfolk will be in the zone with his bees on Wednesday 12th April so that visitors can get a real buzz when they learn all about bees and how busy they are.
