Dublin Zoo Vs Fota Wildlife park: Which is better?

Dublin zoo and Fota wildlife park are Ireland's two main zoological attractions. They are located relatively far apart, with Dublin zoo being located in, you guessed it, Dublin. While Fota wildlife park is in Cork. The two zoo's differ in terms of how they are set up and how they operate. Which park/zoo is better is obviously going to be down to an individuals own interpretation, this is just the opinion of one blogger.

Dublin Zoo

Dublin zoo is officially Ireland's most visited tourist attraction. It is located in the phoenix park where the president also lives (He picked a good spot if you ask me). The zoo is constantly under renovation with new housing areas being constructed or altered, for example the breathtaking African plains which were constructed a number of years ago; housing all manner of creatures in natural looking (for Ireland!) African habitats.

A section of Dublin Zoo's African plains.

The zoo holds feedings for the animals each day with some shows being more pageant like than others, for example the Sea lion feeding. The zoo is by far at its busiest during Summer months, which ironically is when a large amount of animals are not active. The zoo is also relatively condensed meaning a large amount of people will be looking at the same things you are, sometimes making you feel like a gawking tourist. The food is over priced and not the nicest to boot. Dublin zoo is a lovely place to go for a walk and to observe certain animals in their natural habitat, but it can also be an arduous touristy experience.

Fota wildlife park

Fota wildlife park located in Cork attracts far less visitors per annum than Dublin zoo no doubt due to it's location. The park operates in a different manner than the average zoo. Animals are much more spread out than in other parks, with enclosures not being cages exactly but more large enclosures. Fota can afford to do this as they have a much larger area to work with than Dublin zoo. This also leads to a less congested experience for tourists with the park being less busy and much larger people are rarely on top of one another. The way they present animals also differs a lot, animals have much larger enclosures to roam around.

A family of Giraffes in Fota wildlife park.

Some animals within the park actually roam outside of an enclosure. Capybara's trot around as if they own the park, certain breeds of monkeys bounce from tree to tree as they please and lots of other animals have a much more free reign than they would in typical zoos.

In this individuals opinion Fota wildlife park is a much better visitor experience and much more enjoyable than a trip to Dublin zoo.