Rainforest and living laboratory come to life

Marwell Zoo is set to open a state-of-the-art exhibit called Tropical House, where a rainforest and living laboratory will come to life.

Tropical House will offer improved habitats for animals and a more immersive experience for guests. It is being developed as part of a 10 year £17 million investment plan to strengthen Marwell Zoo as a regional tourism asset.

Leading the way in sustainability, the ground-breaking project features a combined heat and power plant that will generate energy through a combination of processing the zoo’s animal waste and locally sourced woodchip biomass, while rainwater is harvested and recycled. This will significantly reduce Marwell Zoo’s carbon footprint and take the zoo a step closer to becoming carbon neutral by 2020.

Spanning two levels, guests will experience uninterrupted face-to-face encounters with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates while learning about the flow of energy through life.