Zanzibar Butterfly Centre

The Zanzibar Butterfly Centre (ZBC) has developed an interactive butterfly exhibit near to Jozani National Park on Unguja island, though outside the park boundaries. The exhibit consists of a netted tropical garden with usually hundreds of butterflies, all of which are native species to Zanzibar. The enclosure is one of Africa's largest butterfly exhibits and provides residents and tourists of Zanzibar with an interactive and visual environment to learn about butterflies.

At ZBC it is possible to experience butterflies feeding and flying very close at hand and to witness the complete life cycle of many species. The butterflies (in pupae form) are farmed sustainably by people from the villages around Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. Our friendly and knowledgeable rangers will greet you on your arrival and during the tour will explain the background to the project and about butterfly lifecycle and ecology. Tours usually last 30 ~ 40mins but can be adapted to suit the visitor

Most types of agriculture in tropical countries require forest clearance and this habitat destruction is a major cause of species extinction. Butterfly farming requires intact forest, thus providing an economic incentive to conserve habitats. As butterflies are bred and reared in enclosures with limited extraction from the wild, farming has a negligible impact on the health of wild populations.

In butterfly farming a small netted enclosure is prepared. It is planted with the food plant for the target species of butterfly. A female butterfly is caught and placed in this breeding cage to lay her eggs on the food plant. The freshly laid eggs are harvested by the farmer and placed in a pest free container, where they will hatch after 10 ~ 14 days. Upon hatching the caterpillars, or larvae, will be transferred to their particular food plant in the farmer's plant nursery. The growing larvae are tended by the farmers until they are ready to pupate, approximately 14 days after hatching. At pupation larvae attach by their abdomen to a suitable leaf or stick ad shed their skin to form the pupae. At this point the pupa are harvested by the farmer to be sold. To ensure sustainability and unnecessary collection from the wild, the farmer will retain a proportion of pupa to provide the next generation of adults for the breeding cage.

We are open 7 days a week, 9am ~ 5pm, all year round.

The butterflies are most active from 10.30am ~ 3.30pm

WHERE: Zanzibar, Tanzania