World's biggest butterfly house to come up in Britain

London, Mar 13 (UNI) The biggest butterfly house in the world is to come up in Britain soon.

Butterfly World, which will have 10,000 butterflies of 250 species at a time fluttering under its 300ft-wide, walk-through dome, is planned to open in stages between June 2009 and March 2011.

The 25 million pounds project is an attempt to conserve one of the most beautiful creatures on earth.

The project is the brainchild of environmentalist Clive Farrell, who has already opened butterfly houses in Florida, Switzerland and Stratford-upon-Avon.

''Butterflies are like the canaries in the coal mine, when their environment is under stress, they are the first to suffer and disappear,'' Mr Farrell said.

''Drastic butterfly losses are continually being reported as we destroy their natural habitats at a frightening pace, and Butterfly World is designed to bring the public into direct contact with some of the most fragile and beautiful wildlife in the world and send out a clarion call on behalf of this endangered treasure,''he said.

The project was launched yesterday with the support of some of the major voices in Britain's conservation community, led by Sir David Attenborough.

''For the sake of future generations we must take action now.

Butterfly World is doing just that. It is putting the issues on the agenda and is seeking to help reverse this environmental catastrophe,'' Sir David said.

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