Is There Any Wildlife In Ireland?

Although you won’t find any big game or large predators in Ireland, except in a zoo, there are many interesting animals to be seen in Ireland’s five national parks. Only 30 species of land animals are native to Ireland, but there is a wealth of birdlife to more than make up for this.

The biggest, and perhaps most spectacular mammal in Ireland is also unique to the country. Red Deer can be found in all the national parks – Killarney, Glenveagh, Ballycroy, Wicklow Mountains or Connemara – sometimes in surprisingly large numbers. Smaller mammals include pine marten, Irish stoat, red fox, mink, otter, badgers and hare, while fallow deer and sika deer can be seen in the Wicklow Mountains National Park as well. The famous Connemara ponies are found wandering the beautiful Connemara countryside, belying their domesticated roots.

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.

If you are interested in the marine life of Ireland, the Exploris Aquarium in Belfast offers fascinating discovery pools where visitors can meet the smaller sea and shore creatures up close. The open sea tank provides a peek into the inhabitants of the deeper ocean waters, and a Seal Sanctuary provides visitors with a glimpse of these ever popular creatures. Most of the marine life seen at the Aquarium can be found off the coast of Ireland, where the attentive tourist will spot whale and dolphin, if their timing is right.

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!

While the zoos may offer visitors the opportunity to see unusual, exotic and dangerous animals, the national parks of Ireland provide an opportunity to explore the habitat of its native wildlife on foot or by bicycle without fear of attack by large predators. The ability to experience any wildlife in close proximity, in their natural habitat, should not be passed up.

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