Blog Fota Wildlife Park
in Animals on 16th July 2018 with 0 Comments
World Snake Day 2018 at Fota Wildlife Park
The Jamaican Boa is only found in Jamaica and is the island’s largest, native, terrestrial predator.
Residing within tropical rainforest, plantations, and wetlands, Jamaican Boas will bask in the early morning to increase body temperature, and will spend most of the day hidden away in dense vegetation or tree holes, rock crevices or burrows. Mostly nocturnal, they’ll reside within the tree canopy remaining still, ready to…
in Animals on 10th July 2018 with 0 Comments
Fota’s Most Famous Primate Passes away - RIP Ol’ Blue Eyes
On Saturday 7th July one of the oldest Spider monkeys ever recorded, Ol’ Blue Eyes, died at the very old age of 48 and ½ years. Rangers and staff at Fota Wildlife Park were heartbroken to learn that she passed away from a brief age-related illness on Saturday morning - as she was one of the best-loved and well-known residents. Ol’ Blue Eyes originally came to Fota Wildlife Park from Chester Zoo in 1993.
The average life expectancy of a…
in Animals on 28th June 2018 with 0 Comments
Baby Boom at Fota - three Scimitar-horned Oryx calves and two European bison calves born recently
Fota Wildlife Park is currently enjoying something of a baby- boom in the hoof stock section - which looks after all the ruminants such as the giraffe and zebra - we are delighted to announce that five new calves, two female European bison (Bison bonasus) and three Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah), two females and a male, have been born since the beginning of the month. These two species are important to the conservation work that the…
in Animals on 13th June 2018 with 0 Comments
New baby female European bison born at Fota Wildlife Park
Today Fota Wildlife Park announced the birth of a female European bison calf (Bison bonasus) who was born on Saturday 2nd June to first-time mother Red and father Hyssop. Fota Wildlife Park is now calling upon the public to name the calf and be in with a chance to win a yearlong Conservation Membership (see the form below to enter). The young calf joins the 13-strong herd including her father Hyssop who joined the herd four years ago…
in Animals on 31st May 2018 with 0 Comments
Fota Wildlife Park announces the arrival of a new species - Roloway monkeys
Fota Wildlife Park announced that it has added two female Roloway monkeys to its primate faunal collection. The Roloway species is extremely rare, even more so than any ape species. It is one of the most critically endangered primates in Africa and it has been placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. The species is on the edge of extinction and until now its ecology and biology remain almost unknown.…
in News on 23rd May 2018 with 0 Comments
Fota Wildlife Park celebrates turning 35 years old with a Summer Series of Events this coming season
(PLEASE NOTE - SUMMER EVENTS ARE ALL INCLUDED WITH YOUR ADMISSION PRICE /TICKET ON THE DAY OF EVENT)
The stage is set this summer at Fota Wildlife Park for a series of fun and educational events to celebrate the Park’s 35 years in existence as one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions. Fota Wildlife Park, a not for profit organisation, opened its gates in June 1983 as a zoological Park serving the core values of conservation, education,…
in Animals on 1st May 2018 with 0 Comments
Dharma’s First Birthday Party
Last May was the birth of Fota Wildlife Park first Sumatran Tiger cub, a female named Dharma, born to mom, Dourga. The Sumatran Tiger species is one of the rarest subspecies of tiger in the world and is classed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dharma’s birth was a landmark birth for Fota Wildlife Park as not only was it the first time that a tiger has been born in Fota, but because this…
in Animals on 28th April 2018 with 0 Comments
Phantasmal Poison Dart Frogs at Fota Wildlife Park
Have you seen the Phantasmal Poison Dart Frog in Fota Wildlife Park's Tropical House? This tiny frog makes it home on the Western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and secretes a venom through its skin that's so deadly just touching it can kill you. The minuscule frogs measure only 4 tenths of an inch.
The tiny frogs are part of a group of diverse amphibians known as poison dart or Poison Arrow frogs a description coined by Amazon…
in News on 25th April 2018 with 0 Comments
The Running Fireman Alex O’Shea launches the annual Cheetah Run
Fota Wildlife Park and Eagle Athletic Club announce Thursday 17th May as the race date, registration will open on Thursday 3rd May.
Fota Wildlife Park, Co Cork, 25th April 2018 - Alex O’Shea, better known as the Guinness Book of Records holding “Running Fireman” today helped launch the annual Cheetah Run which is hosted by Fota Wildlife Park in conjunction with Eagle Athletic Club. The Cheetah Run, a race run over 5 kilometres…
in Animals on 23rd March 2018 with 0 Comments
Big Cat Update from Fota Wildlife Park
The world’s big cat populations are declining at alarming rates due to loss of habitat and prey, conflicts with people, poaching and illegal trade. The scale of the problem is distressing, for example in the last 100 years Asia’s wild tiger range has shrunk by 93% and 40% of that happened in the past ten years (21stcenturytiger.org).
Fota Wildlife Park partakes in cooperative breeding programmes, which are an essential safeguard against…
The Black-tailed Prairie Dog has an unusual ‘jump-yip’ display where it stands up on its hind legs and throws its forefeet into the air while making one of its variety of calls. The action usually leads prairie dogs nearby to do the same.
