Fota Wildlife Park News

Interview with Sean McKeown the Park’s Director

2010-08-20T09:10:00+00:00

Interview with the Park's Director Sean McKeown courtesy of the Cork Independent

Congratulations to the 1st visitor to go through our new entrance

2010-08-18T15:39:32+00:00

At 4pm today Fota Wildlife Park opened up the kiosks on its new entrance as a test run and welcomed its first visitor

Competition Time: Win a Membership & family passes to the park (Closing Date August 31st)

2010-08-13T13:03:41+00:00

Would you like to win a Conservation Membership, Park Membership or a family pass for 2 adults and 4 kids to Fota Wildlife Park?

Competition: Win a Membership & Family Passes to the Park

2010-08-13T12:51:32+00:00

We are giving away 7 prizes including a Conservation Membership, Park Membership and one of 5 family passes to the park. All you need to do is enter our online survey before the 31st of August

CORK SPORTS STARS JOIN BRAVE GIRL TO LAUNCH SUPERHERO FUN RUN

2010-08-05T16:41:10+00:00

Adelina Corigliano was joined by Cork Sports stars and the Cork Rose of Tralee Laura Mitchell to officially launch the first Superhero Fun Run Cork in aid of the Children's Cancer Fund at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin.

Lar Gibbon Born at Fota Wildlife Park

2010-07-30T16:09:31+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park are delighted with the latest birth at the park, a little Lar Gibbon who was born at the end of June and can now be seen by the public with its mother Namphon out on their newly refurbished island .

New Talks Timetable for the Summer

2010-07-14T10:43:06+00:00

Check out our new talks timetable for the summer, there will be new talks about our talking parrotts and our lazy looking tapir, among others.

Let your Kids Go Wild at the Fota Wildlife Park Summer Camp

2010-07-13T09:02:44+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park's Summer Camp is back again for 2010 and is set to be another week of fun filled activities at Corks number one visitor attraction.

FOTA WILDLIFE PARK VISITOR NUMBERS KEEP INCREASING

2010-07-12T15:27:15+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park is delighted to announce that their visitor numbers are up 6% for the first half of 2010; this comes on the back of the latest Failte Ireland top 10 visitor attraction numbers which put the park up three places to 6th in 2009.

Happy Birthday to Finn the Giraffe

2010-07-01T13:01:54+00:00

On Sunday 4th of July Fota Wildlife Park are going to be holding a birthday party for Finn the youngest male giraffe at the park who will be two.

Holiday for Impy & Zulu as Cheetah Run goes under construction

2010-06-30T08:52:13+00:00

Its a mini holiday for the parks most famous animals Impy & Zulu as Cheetah Run goes under construction for three weeks

Cheetah Run 4 Mile Road Race 2010 Results

2010-05-21T11:37:05+00:00

631 runners took part in the second annual Cheetah Run 4 mile road race at the park on Thursday May 20th. Congratulations to James McCarthy and Joyce Wolfe on coming first.

Race Against Time at Fota Wildlife Park this week

2010-05-19T16:59:50+00:00

Race against time is on at Fota Wildlife Park this week

This week Fota Wildlife Park is holding two races with the 2nd annual cheetah run 4 mile road race on Thursday night and the Bio Blitz to find out how many species live in the park over a 24hr period on Friday night.

Fota Wildlife Park Facebook Fan Page Reaches 5,000

2010-05-17T12:09:44+00:00

Fota WIldlife Park's Facebook Fan Page reached the magical 5,000 mark last weekend.

New Howler Monkeys arrive at Fota Wildlife Park after Volcano Delay

2010-05-07T13:06:50+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park has finally introduced the latest additions to the park a male and female Black Howler Monkey to another, after a delay caused by the volcanic ash.

Cheetah Run 2010 - The Wildest Road Race in Ireland

2010-05-04T13:28:25+00:00

The Cheetah Run, organised by Eagle AC, in conjunction with Fota Wildlife Park, will take place at 8pm on Thursday May 20th 2010. This race attracted 662 runners in 2009 and it should again prove an attractive event.

ITS A GIRL - Our Baby Zebra that is!!

2010-04-27T16:32:24+00:00

Our Baby Zebra is a girl and you still have the chance to give her a name the closing date is this coming Friday April 30th at 2pm

Name our new Baby Zebra

2010-04-16T13:24:05+00:00

A little zebra has become the latest addition to the baby boom at Fota Wildlife following the recent arrival of Aoife the giraffe and now the park are looking for a name for the Zebra.

Fota Wildlife Park hosting Responsible Pet Ownership Weekend

2010-04-06T15:09:26+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park is hosting a responsible pet ownership weekend in the park this coming Saturday and Sunday April 10/11th in association with the Donkey Sanctuary, Animal care Society and The Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to animals.

Tim White is the King of the Wild Life

2010-04-06T08:11:55+00:00

Tim White yesterday became the king of the wild life and walked away with €10,000 and a trip for two to Zambia

Say Hello to Aoife our new baby Giraffe

2010-04-02T14:28:42+00:00

The wardens in Fota Wildlife Park are celebrating the birth of a giraffe calf Aoife, the first giraffe born in the park since July 4th 2008.

The first night in the wild was COLD for the 8 contestants

2010-03-30T11:46:31+00:00

The first night for the 8 contestants was very cold here is what happened from 6pm until 7am

Fota Wildlife Park welcomes the 8 contestants who will live in the park

2010-03-29T15:29:44+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park welcomed the 8 finalists of its "Wild Life" competition with Red FM this morning at 10am, each of them hoping to last the full week and walk away with €10,000 and a two week trip to Zambia thanks to travel4change.ie.

“THE WILD LIFE” - Your chance to win €10,000 & a trip to Africa

2010-03-01T11:14:32+00:00

Would you like to win €10,000 and a trip of of lifetime to Zambia?

RE-DISCOVER CORK

2010-02-24T11:28:19+00:00

Visit Cork City Hall on March 6th between 12pm and 4pm for a family fun day and and find out what is on in Cork in 2010

Romance Continues at the Park

2010-02-22T14:22:31+00:00

Wild celebrations took place in the park at the weekend when Enda Flaherty popped the magic question to Sarah Jane Grehan

Win a chance to Escape to Your Private Island at the park this weekend

2010-02-11T09:23:07+00:00

Fota Island Resort have given the park 4 fantastic prizes to give away this valentines weekend at the park

New €4 million Face Lift for Fota Wildlife Park

2010-02-03T14:29:02+00:00

Following a very successful 2009 where visitor figures grew by 5%, Fota Wildlife Park have started work on a brand new €4 million entrance development which includes an exciting new macaque exhibit.

GET FIT AT FOTA

2010-01-11T11:10:55+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park is launching two new walking groups in the park starting on Monday 18th of January at 10am with information morning

ICE AGE

2010-01-07T14:38:01+00:00

The current cold spell continues to attract media attention

Wardens brave the Cold Weather

2010-01-02T14:49:45+00:00

The Wardens at the park are braving the freezing cold conditions to make sure our animals are coping with the current cold spell

St John’s Gospel Choir performing in the park this coming Sunday

2009-12-17T14:54:21+00:00

The St Johns College Choir is performing in the Oasis Cafe at the park from 2.30pm - 3.30pm this Sunday as part of the Christmas with Larry Festivities.

Help Protect the Chagos Islands

2009-12-17T10:09:02+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park are getting behind a campaign by the ZSL to protect the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean

Give the gift of Fota this Christmas

2009-11-28T16:01:08+00:00

If you are looking for a Christmas gift idea with a difference, take a look at Fota Wildlife Park's, annual membership packages and adopt an animal scheme.

Invitation to Carol Singers

2009-11-11T13:08:45+00:00

To celebrate Christmas with Larry at the Park we are looking for carol singers to help us get in the festive spirit

You can now buy membership or adopt an animal online

2009-11-06T16:46:57+00:00

We are delighted to announce that people can now purchase annual membership or adopt an animal online

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Fota

2009-11-04T17:09:57+00:00

Yes, Mr Claus is making a special trip to Fota this christmas to see all the children taking part in our christmas activity days

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T11:12:45+00:00

Happy Halloween from everyone at Fota Wildlife Park. Come celebrate with us this weekend

Fotawildlife.ie is shortlisted for a Eircom Golden Spider Award

2009-10-28T13:04:07+00:00

Fotawildlife.ie has been shortlisted for the best community & charity website at the annual Eircom Golden Spider Awards.

Jazz is a big hit with the media

2009-10-22T09:02:20+00:00

The Park's newst Baby "Jazz" has become an overnight star

Jungle V.I.P Arrives in Time for Jazz Weekend at Fota

2009-10-21T13:52:30+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park are delighted to announce the birth of a Lion Tailed Macaque and to celebrate they have a weekend of jazz lined up.

Bookings open for Halloween Activity Camps

2009-10-19T15:58:15+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park are hosting Activity Camps this halloween for children aged 4-12

WIN WIN WIN with EA SPORTS

2009-10-13T11:08:27+00:00

To celebrate EA Sports Hub visiting the park on Wednesday October 14th we have three games to give away.

Competition Time

2009-10-06T10:30:59+00:00

We have a great prize to launch our annual activity camps at Halloween.

EA Sports Its in the Park

2009-09-30T16:47:51+00:00

The EA Sports Hub is making a very special visit to Fota Wildlife Park on October the 14th showcasing the latest games from the worlds most famous video games producer.

Help us reach 2,000 fans on Facebook

2009-09-19T08:25:01+00:00

Since launnching the Fota Wildlife Park fanpage on Facebook in July we have had over 1,500 people join us as fans, now we are looking to reach 2,000 fans by the end of September

Take the Sli na Slainte Challenge

2009-09-11T09:39:28+00:00

Irish race walker Robert Heffernan and his soon wife to be Irish 400m champion Marion Andrews were at the park yesterday to officially launch the Sli na Slainte Route

Would you like to have the wildest birthday party in town?

2009-09-09T13:11:23+00:00

Starting in September Fota Wildlife Park are hosting childrens parties every Saturday and Sunday until March 2010

Get Healthy With the Animals

2009-09-08T08:54:17+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park and the Irish Heart Foundation are officially launching the wildest Sli Na Slainte route in the country with Irish Olympic Athlete Robert Heffernan

Fota Wildlife Park Marketing Survey Winners

2009-09-02T15:20:23+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park would like to thank everyone who completed our online Marketing Survey. We are delighted to announce the 5 winners of family passes to the park

Carnivore Campaign Week - Winners

2009-08-30T15:52:44+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park hosted a very special week for the EAZA European Carnivore Campaign from August 22nd until August 30th and now we are delighted to announce the winners of our trail competition.

Cheetah Run 4 Mile Road Race - Results

2009-08-28T15:22:46+00:00

In May of this year the park held its first Cheetah Run, a 4 mile road race that started and finished in the park and also took in Fota House and Gardens. To find out who entered the race and where they came click here

Our new Baby Siamang is a hit with the Papers

2009-08-25T09:03:11+00:00

See some of the Press Coverage of our new arrival, the baby siamang gibbon

Say Hello to our latest arrival at the park - A Baby Siamang

2009-08-25T08:41:35+00:00

Joining the baby boom at Fota Wildlife Park in 2009 is a new baby Siamang Gibbon

Carnivore Campaign Week

2009-08-19T09:17:54+00:00

Fota Wildlife Park's Carnivore Week will be commencing this coming Saturday August 22nd and will run until the 30th August with all sorts of carnivore related events happening across the park.

Birds of Prey Experience on Sunday 16th has been cancelled

2009-08-14T14:21:47+00:00

Birds of Prey Experience will only take place on Saturday this weekend at 1 and 3pm. Unfortunately Sunday's flying demonstrations have to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

New Talks

2009-08-04T13:01:00+00:00

Back in the chilly days of March the first of the seasonal wildlife talks began. Initially 12 talks took place around the park each day, including talks on the bison, giraffe, cheetah, seal, eagle and penguin, at the relevant enclosures.

Now, with our additional summer staff, we have been able to increase this number to 23 daily talks! This is an enormous increase on last year, when there were a total of six talks a day. The new talks on the macaque, flamingo, lar gibbon and siamang gibbon began on Bank Holiday Monday, with great feedback.

So, in addition to our Talks Presenters giving an information-packed ten minute talk on these animals, they will also try and answer any questions that you may have.

Please see the Facilities and Daily Events section to see what time each talk is on at, or check out the signs around the park!

Sun comes out at the end of a great members party

2009-07-31T20:15:06+00:00

The sun came out at the end of the members party making it a great night for all who attended

FOTA WILDLIFE PARK HITS THE MARK

2009-07-31T12:13:23+00:00

FOTA WILDLIFE PARK HITS THE MARK

Visitor numbers up seven per cent

Let us know what you think of Fota Wildlife Park

2009-07-30T10:06:54+00:00

As you know the park is a non profit organisation therefore we rely on you the public for income, therefore we want to know what you think of the park with our customer comments survey.

Birds of Prey Experience

2009-07-27T13:20:49+00:00

What do you think is the fastest animal here at Fota Wildlife Park?

May the blogging begin…

2009-07-27T12:53:52+00:00

Hello everybody! After a long absence the blog is back in action again.

In the Press: Tom Hartnett of East Cork AC, receives 3rd prize in the Cheetah Run

2009-07-06T14:19:44+00:00

Publication: Evening Echo Sport Supplement

Happy Birthday Finn

2009-07-03T12:46:54+00:00

On Saturday 4th of July Fota Wildlife Park are going to be holding a very special birthday party. Yes Finn the youngest Giraffe in the park will be one years old.

Fota and Maxi Zoo Launch Partnership

2009-06-11T14:38:20+00:00

Publication: Ballincollig Today

Happy Zoo Year

2009-06-08T14:55:49+00:00

Publication: The Irish Sun

EAZA Teddy Bears Picnic with Tropicana Pure Premium

2009-06-03T09:46:43+00:00

Have you teddy bears at home who would like to visit a wildlife park? Well now they can. This Sunday June 21st (Father’s Day) Fota Wildlife Park will be hosting the EAZA Teddy Bears Picnic in association with Tropicana Pure Premium to raise awareness of the EAZA European Carnivore Campaign.

Have a Wild and Wonderful Summer at Fota Wildlife Park

2009-06-03T09:30:04+00:00

Kids are you interested in nature? Have you ever wondered why a giraffe sleeps standing up or why the cheetah is the fastest land animal. Come to Fota Wildlife Park’s Summer Camps and have all of your questions answered!!

Its an Ape-y Birthday

2009-05-27T16:35:24+00:00

Publication: The Star

Story on the birth of Billy the Agile Gibbon

Schola Cantorum Voci del Nestore (Italy) performing at Fota Wildlife Park on Saturday May 2nd at 1pm

2009-04-26T10:04:16+00:00

The Schola Cantorum Voci del Nestore choir is made up of students from the first, second and third classes of Piegaro Middle School. The group currently consists of 25 students, and came into being in 2003 through the formation of an extracurricular school choir activity.

The Cheetah Run - 4 mile road race

2009-04-26T09:51:28+00:00

The Cheetah is a most graceful cat, whose long legs and semi-retractile claws are adaptations to coursing swift antelope prey. Cheetahs stalk their prey to about 30m, then sprint at up to 110kph. Fota Wildlife Park in Cork has been exceptionally successful in breeding Cheetahs in captivity. Over 180 cubs have been born in the park since 1985.

Ol’ Blue Eyes

2008-09-28T10:08:56+00:00

It is truly amazing, the amount of intriguing stories to be told of Fota Wildlife Park’s animals. Each individual really does have a unique past and an even more unique personality to match. Our oldest spider monkey ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ is however somewhat special amongst Fota’s animals.

Irelands Amphibians

2008-09-13T10:20:32+00:00

Ireland has only three representatives of the amphibian family: the common frog, the natterjack toad and the smooth newt.

Evolution and Extinction

2008-08-27T10:31:15+00:00

Isn’t evolution a marvellous process? When ever I walk through the park, I never cease to wonder at animals and how they came to be. Take for example the giraffe...

Family Frog Day

2008-08-16T10:35:52+00:00

Fun, food, frogs and conservation! It’s all happening in Fota Wildlife Park on Saturday, 27th of September. This event, our Family Froggy Fun Day, is taking place at 12 o’clock in the park as part of Fota Wildlife Park’s conservation effort to save many of the world’s amphibians from the brink of extinction.

Escapes

2008-08-07T10:40:25+00:00

When visitors of Fota Wildlife Park enter the park, they are usually taken aback at the initial sight of the giraffes in the large paddock. This is more often than not continued by scanning all the other weird and wonderful creatures that share the giraffes’ space including the zebra, oryx, emu, ostrich and many little maras- or as one man coined them “little jack russell dogs”- bobbing about.

New beginnings at Fota Wildlife Park

2008-08-01T10:45:13+00:00

It has been a remarkable time lately to visit Fota and as someone who has been working here for the last month the place still surprises me, constantly offering something new and interesting every week.

Weird and Wonderful Amphibians

2008-07-20T10:54:50+00:00

Ever hear of a mudpuppy? Or a siren? How about an olm, a hellbender , a waterdog or even a amphiuma? No? They are all wonderfully whimsical names for equally wonderful creatures: the amphibians. Amphibians are fascinating creatures, having been here on earth for more the 230 million years.

Welcoming Finn

2008-07-16T11:10:35+00:00

I was overjoyed at the sight of Finn, our newborn giraffe calf, peering at me with big doe eyes. At the time i saw him he was only one week old and it was the first time the door of his house was opened and he could see the world outside.