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Butterflies: Where do they come from?
With around 140,000 known species, butterflies are the second-most
numerous family of insects after the beetles. Their centre of diversity lies in tropical
regions.
Of course, we’ll only be able to show you a small cross-section of the
butterfly family, drawn from several continents. Over several years, we’ve built
relationships with butterfly farms in the Philippines, in Costa Rica, and in Surinam.
These farms specialize in raising species whose color, size, and behavior suits
them for exhibits like this one. As each caterpillar needs its type of leaves to
feed on, butterfly farms have plantations of different food plants. Once the
caterpillars pupate, they’re carefully packed, shipped, and arrive at the airport
in Munich within a matter of days.
We prefer to let our partners in developing countries raise our butterflies.
We receive our butterflies straight from the farms, without middlemen. This allows
us to pay fair prices and create a sustainable alternative source of income in
rain forest areas.
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Butterflies: Where do they come from? (MP3, 482 KB)
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