TROPICAL World in Letterkenny has enjoyed a baby boom over the past two months.
While its doors have remained closed to visitors due to Covid-19 the new arrivals include a pair of rare Bali Straling chicks, a baby Aracari, the first bred in Ireland, together with twin cotton top tamarins and twin baby pygmy marmoset – the smallest monkey in the world.
Two Violet Turaco chicks have also hatched this week, the second set of chicks born to this pair since they arrived in Tropical World two years ago.
“Judging by the baby boom, the lockdown has clearly been good for us because there are a lot of beautiful baby animals for visitors to see here now,” said founder Clive Alcorn this week.
The green aracari is a toucan normally found in the lowland forests of north-eastern South America. A camera has been set up in the nesting box and will go live shortly allowing children to follow the chick’s progress.
Visitors will also be greeted by the sounds of lorikeets, turacos and birds from around the globe as well as lemurs, miniature monkeys, racoons, meerkats and more when the doors to Tropical World reopen from Wednesday, July 1.
The Bali Starling, known for its majestic white plumage with jet back tail and wing tips and bright blue skin around its eyes, it critically endangered. In 2001, only six individuals were left in the world. However, thanks to a series of captive breeding programmes, roughly 1,000 of Bali Starlings now exist in captivity around the world.
“There’s an awful lot of good conservation works ongoing in different zoos and that’s an important part of our ethos here in Tropical World. It’s all about education and conservation,” Mr Alcorn said.
“We’ve some new arrivals – a baby boom in fact – with a number of new monkeys and chicks that can only be found here in Tropical World. They’re nowhere else in Ireland.
“We’re not trying to be Dublin Zoo or Fota Island in Cork. They’ve got lions, tigers and elephants. We don’t have any dangerous animals here because we don’t need them but we’ve some very rare birds that you won’t find anywhere else in Ireland or indeed Britain,” he explained.
Mr Alcorn said that while the absence of visitors had encouraged mating among some residents, it had confused others and prompted changes in their behaviour.
“We’ve five staff who maintain Tropical World throughout the year. We’re only open for six months (April to September) of the year but the animals still need to be fed all year round, including Christmas Day. We just can’t stop. They always come first,” he said.
Tropical World is also home to hundreds of tropical butterflies of all shapes and sizes, all in free flight, together with an amazing collection of live bugs, spiders, beetles and insects.
“It’s bigger and better this year than it’s ever been,” he said.
Set over two and a half acres, Tropical World is 80% under cover with covered walk-ways for the rainy days. Unfortunately, the children’s indoor play area will not reopen this year.
“Chester Zoo (the biggest of its kind in the UK) is losing €1.6 million a month. Covid has had a massive effect on zoos all over the world, some of which can’t afford to pay their keepers and feed the animals but I’m lucky.
“I’ve got the backing of Alcorn’s Garden Centre and Alcorn’s Flowers. The business is a combination of all three. This (Tropical World) is my hobby, my passion, but I do accept that it also has to be a stand alone business,” he said.
With half the 2020 season already lost due to Covid-19, Mr Alcorn has estimated that his revenue stream in Tropical World is down €130,000 this year to date.
“It’s only money. It’s a necessary evil. I’ve invested €80,000 in solar panels and air to water systems which have helped to reduce my energy bill by seventy-five per cent. It mightn’t have been a great year to put in such an investment but it’s doing its job. It’s helping to cut my carbon footprint. It’s all about embracing technology and teaching our children to care for the planet,” he said.
With that in mind, Tropical World is busy ensuring that everything is in place to allow it to reopen its doors from Wednesday, July 1.
“There will be a booking system in place. We’ve to make sure that everything is safe for our staff, customers and animals. This started as a hobby forty years ago. What we have to offer is unique in Ireland.
“We’re ready to reopen and we’ll be delighted to see people coming through the door once more in July. We’re looking to make it a happy and safe experience and an educational one for the children.
“Described by our patrons on trip advisor as Donegal’s hidden gem and the one place you must visit in Donegal, Tropical World is a good family day out,” Mr Alcorn said.