Butterfly biome at The Leaf closes for repairs
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/06/2023 (834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Leaf is taking the first step towards pushing monarch butterflies aside in favour of exotic ones.
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy has closed the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden inside The Leaf so it can make repairs to the facility.
A notice on the conservancy’s website says the biome and the canopy walkway closed on Friday and is expected to reopen June 29. Admission to the entire facility will be discounted during that time.
A butterfly rests on a branch in the butterfly biome on the third floor of The Leaf. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press files)
The Leaf opened last December to the public, but it wasn’t until an inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on May 30, that the butterfly biome was ordered closed because the exotic tropical butterflies were escaping from what was supposed to be a sealed facility.
The federal agency takes the escape of non-native butterflies seriously because, if they were to get outside The Leaf building, they could potentially devastate domestic agricultural crops. No exotic butterflies were found by inspectors outside.
The federal government pulled the facility’s import permit and ordered the exotic butterflies to be captured and moved to a properly sealed facility at the nearby Assiniboine Park Zoo.
Earlier this month, The Leaf’s butterfly biome reopened, but with only non-exotic butterflies native to the Prairies.
“There’s some work required to close the gaps we found,” conservancy spokeswoman Laura Cabak said Friday.
“We’ve closed the biome so we can get that done. At some point after that, we’ll reach out to CFIA regarding tropicals (butterflies).”
Cabak said when the biome reopens June 29, it will again feature domestic species.
“We can’t speculate about tropicals because we haven’t started the conversation with CFIA,” she said.
“We are taking it one step at a time.”
The family of Shirley Richardson issued a statement about the earlier closure of the butterfly facility by the federal government.
“We have been closely following the developments regarding the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden. Our family understands that there may be some issues that arise from time to time with a brand-new building as complex as The Leaf. We are confident that the management and operations teams at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy will continue to work diligently to resolve these issues.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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