Travel Tips

What Wildlife Will You Find In Ireland?

If you’re looking for an African safari with big game and large predators, Ireland is probably not the ideal destination. Ireland’s five national parks do however offer some spectacular and fascinating wildlife, bird and insect life for visitors to enjoy, set in diverse and beautiful countryside.

The biggest naturally occurring mammal you will find in Ireland is the Red Deer. Unique to Ireland, these magnificent animals can be seen in Killarney National Park, Glenveagh, Ballycroy and the Wicklow Mountains parks. Other mammals seen regularly include hare, badgers, the red fox, pine martens, the Irish stoat, mink, otter and fallow deer. Connemara National Park features the Connemara Ponies. Although considered a domestic animal, they wander the countryside in herds in Connemara, making a distinct impression on visitors to the park.

Most of the national parks as well as the untouched and uninhabited regions of Ireland boast a number of raptors, including peregrine, owls and falcon. The Golden Eagle, extinct in Ireland since 1912, has recently been reintroduced in Glenveagh National Park, with considerable success. Golden plover, ravens and many other bird species make Ireland a popular destination for birdwatchers.

For a wider variety of wildlife from around the world, visitors can see Siberian tigers, rhino, hippo, lion, wolves, gorillas, snow leopards and orang-utans at Dublin Zoo. The facilities are well laid out, replicating the animals’ natural habitat as closely as possible. Belfast Zoo has Asian elephants, white tiger and spectacled bears as well as many other animals on show for visitors to enjoy.

Belfast also has the Exploris Aquarium with interactive discovery pools and a deep water open sea tank featuring the interesting creatures of the deep. Many of the sea creatures seen here can be found off Ireland’s coast, where whale and dolphin are spotted at various times of the year. The Seal Sanctuary, also in Belfast, offers a fascinating insight into these clever creatures as well.

An innovative wildlife park can be found on Fota Island in Cork Harbour. Here, visitors can explore 70 acres of wildlife, most of it roaming freely between visitors. Almost all the animals in Fota Wildlife Park are endangered or threatened. Some, like the Rothschilds Giraffe and European Bison, will only be seen in captivity. The wildlife park features unusual species like red panda, lemur, emu, kangaroos and many more animals from around the world. They also have cheetah - but they do not roam freely through the park!

Although Irish wildlife may not seem to offer a thrilling adventure, the lack of large predators means that visitors can walk or cycle through the national parks in relative safety. This affords visitors the opportunity to see smaller animals that make for interesting viewing, particularly in their natural habitat. For the more unusual, and dangerous, animals, a visit to one of the zoos or the wildlife park will certainly entertain and educate you.

If you interested in Ireland and Irish news and events - please find out more about New events in Ireland and see video about Ireland on our video website. http://www.daysinireland.com/

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