Swansea Tropical Zoo opens new exhibit exploring venomous and poisonous species

Plantasia Tropical Zoo in Swansea has continued its expansion with a bold new exhibit – Vital Venoms and Practical Poisons.

The interactive experience brings together eight species with venomous or poisonous adaptations and is inviting visitors to discover the surprising scientific breakthroughs, medical advancements, and evolutionary importance behind some of the animal kingdom’s most feared creatures.

The latest installation, which is part of the Welsh zoo’s longer term growth strategy, is designed to challenge perceptions and spark curiosity among visitors – with several of the zoo’s new species currently being researched for medical applications including pain management, diabetes treatment, and cancer research.

While many of the species featured in Vital Venoms and Practical Poisons may appear intimidating, the exhibit highlights their crucial role in ecosystems — and the remarkable ways that their venoms and toxins are being used in human health research.

Among the new residents are Fire-Bellied Toads, whose bright warning colours signal to predators that they are unsafe to eat. Compounds found in their toxins are currently being explored in research linked to prostate and breast cancer treatments.

Visitors will also encounter Poison Dart Frogs, whose skin contains powerful alkaloids — chemical compounds that have inspired the development of new, highly effective painkillers.

A key feature of the exhibit is Lucy, the zoo’s Beaded Lizard, one of only two known venomous lizard species in the world. Venom from the beaded lizard is now being studied for its potential role in fighting type 2 diabetes.

Other species include Mango the Mangrove Snake, whose venom contains a unique peptide called denmotoxin, currently being researched for its applications in colon cancer treatment, a Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-Eating Tarantula, whose venom is being studied in chronic pain research, and Checkered Garter Snakes, whose venom is vitally important and used as a model to produce anti-venoms for other, more deadly, snake species.

The exhibit also introduces an Asian Forest Scorpion, which glows a striking turquoise under UV light, and a colony of Two-Spotted Assassin Bugs, whose venom is helping scientists develop eco-friendly insecticides.

The new attraction is designed for visitors of all ages, with educational content – which builds natural curiosity through storytelling, visuals and surprising science – that has been specifically tailored to engage both children and adults.

A vital extension of Plantasia’s long-standing educational mission, which underpins its conservation work, the Welsh zoo hopes the new attraction will strengthen public connection to biodiversity and the urgent need to protect threatened species worldwide.

Commenting on the launch of Vital Venoms and Practical Poisons, Paul Sheppard, Attraction Manager, said: “We’ve taken a familiar part of the zoo and turned it into something completely different.

“This new area invites visitors to look closer, ask questions and discover just how clever nature can be — all within a setting that feels bold and immersive.

“Vital Venoms & Practical Poisons allows us to tell some incredible stories about survival, adaptation and the natural world in a way we haven’t been able to before.”

Vital Venoms and Practical Poisons builds on Plantasia’s reputation as a destination for learning and discovery in Wales and joins its growing portfolio of immersive and interactive experiences for children and adults.

These include the award-winning Giants of the Past installation, which uses Magic Memories Augmented Reality to bring life-sized prehistoric species to life, and the zoo’s Jungle Escape experiences, which include Rainforest Run, the world’s largest 60-minute escape room set across the entire indoor zoo.

Commenting on Plantasia’s ongoing developments and expansion, Swansea Council cabinet member Elliott King said: “It’s great that Plantasia has this fantastic new exhibit. This top class city centre attraction is being run on the council’s behalf by Parkwood Leisure – and I highly recommend a visit!”

Looking ahead, Plantasia’s long-term ambition is to contribute to an international breeding programme for a ninth species planned for the exhibit, currently listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

This builds on the zoo’s success within the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for the Critically Endangered Egyptian Tortoise. Plantasia’s rescued adults have already produced eight healthy offspring in the last four and a half years — a crucial step in safeguarding the species for the future.