Every hour of every day one species of animal or plant disappears from the earth…forever.
It is a sad fact that man and his activities have been the greatest threat to biodiversity in Earth's history. Increasingly man is reducing the diversity of life to uniform ecosystems of his own making from which he has removed most of the biodiversity that makes Earth the fascinating and productive place it is. Conservation is the activity that aims to care for nature while at the same time allowing man to use it and benefit from it. Without conservation future generations and we will be deprived of much of nature.
FOTA Wildlife Park, as well as other wildlife parks around the world intends to be a leading contributor to the conservation of wildlife. It consists not only of the different species of plants, animals and other organisms, but also of the genetic variety within species and the variety of ecosystems.
Fota Wildlife Park was opened in 1983 by the President of Ireland, Dr. Patrick Hillery and is a joint project of the Zoological Society of Ireland and University College, Cork. At the time of the Park's original development Fota Island was the University’s farm and the Park's land is still owned by University College Cork.
Fota Wildlife Park, just 10 miles from Cork on the Cobh road, is among the most progressive wildlife parks in Europe with over 90 species of wildlife from five continents. It is set on 70 acres of open countryside, with many of its species wandering freely around the park's natural and attractive environment. Giraffes, zebras, ostrich and antelope roam together in 40 acres of grassland, much as they would in the African savannah, monkeys swing through trees on lake islands, while kangaroos, macaws and lemurs have complete freedom of the Park. Only the cheetahs have a conventional fence. Also, these are species in which the captive populations might make a difference to the species' survival. One such species is the scimitar-horned Oryx, an antelope now thought to be extinct in its native habitat in North Africa.
FOTA Wildlife Park is not like an ordinary zoo. Wherever possible chosen animals that thrive in a free-range environment, which allows them to roam free, while mixed with other species and with us human visitors!
These species are also able to adjust to the Irish Climate. The animals themselves make the choice of seeking shelter when necessary. In some cases, for example the giraffes, only a barrier separates visitors from the animals but this is always unobtrusive and does not reduce the animals' quality of life.
In Fota visitors may walk through the park in complete harmony with the nature, which is a wonderful experience for children and adults alike. People could enjoy lunch in the coffee shop or hop aboard the Awacachi tour train, or join one of the talks, which take place at regular intervals throughout the day.
Park has its very own train station. So you could take a train from there direct to Fota Wildlife Park. From Cork to Fota by train only 15 minutes.
If you have a kids you would be interested in Fota Wildlife Park's Education Programme which exists to support nature conservation by providing information, courses and activities, like Summer Camps, Safari Days and Activity Days.
Man has thoughtlessly caused the extinction of many species of organism. Many further species are now threatened with extinction. Wildlife parks and zoos now care for a small proportion of threatened animal species by breeding them in captivity. Hopefully, it will be possible to restore the habitat of these animals and to return them to the wild. But at this moment Wildlife parks and zoos have an important role in conservation.
Contact Details:
(021) 481 2678
(021) 481 2736 during office hours 9.30am - 5pm
(021) 481 2744
info@fotawildlife.ie
www.fotawildlife.ie
