Fota Wildlife Park is a 100-acre special zoo and a wildlife park situated on Fota Island, in County Cork, in the south west of Ireland. The park opened in 1983 and is home to a number of endangered animals, with almost thirty mammal and bird species. The main objectives of the park is to preserve animal life and habitats in the wild.
The park is compact but well laid out and designed compete with allocated pathways, there is a recommended route to follow, and there are signs with lots of information about the animals you see along the way.
The animals have been especially chosen to adapt to the Irish climate, seeking shelter when necessary, they are left to roam freely amongst their large open enclosures, where they have plenty of space to move about. A visit here is a unique experience as you get really close to the free roaming animals and birds from all over the world, it is much more fun and adventurous for visitors. Visitors will also see a number of extremely endangered species.
There is a new Tropical House that is home to three reptiles, nine amphibian, twenty eight fish and fourteen butterfly species all are new species to the park. They are all homed amongst 340 tropical plants, providing cover for many of them. The house is maintained at a constant temperature of 26° celsius year round.
You can see the animals being fed twice during the day, early in the morning and late in the afternoon. There is a Cheetah Run that takes place at 16.00 daily. The Giraffe Crossing is when cross the path as they go in for feeding and for the night. Throughout the day you can hear expert keepers talk about the different animals found here and the conservation work being undertaken for that particular species.
There are play areas for younger visitors. The Fota Wildlife Park Jeep Safari takes visitors around the park to see the different animals, they can then decide what areas they want to go and explore further.
They also operate a number of fundraising events that are aimed at families where fun and conservation are combined. There are also a number of wild experiences that visitors can take part in, details are on the website.
The park opens daily throughout the year and is one of Ireland’s top ten visitor attractions. There are two cafes where you can stop to recharge your batteries and enjoy the refreshments on offer.