What Wildlife Will You Find 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 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.

Birdwatchers will appreciate the variety of raptors found in the hills and mountains of the national parks, with falcon, peregrine and owls featuring regularly. The Glenveagh National Park has recently introduced the Golden Eagle to the park, with considerable success. This raptor was declared extinct in Ireland in 1912, but is now making a comeback. There are hundreds of bird species to be found throughout Ireland, including waterfowl in the bogs and lakes.

There are of course zoos and aquariums that offer visitors and residents the opportunity to see a wide variety of wildlife. Dublin Zoo is home to Siberian tigers, rhinoceros, wolves, gorillas, orang-utans, chimpanzees, snow leopards, hippo and lion. Belfast Zoo showcases a similar variety of animals, including Asian elephants, white tigers and spectacled bears and more.

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!

Although the native wildlife may not be as exciting as African big game, the lack of natural large predators gives visitors to the national parks an opportunity to explore the beautiful countryside in safety, even outside their cars. The well-equipped and beautifully laid out zoos more than compensate for the lack of naturally-occurring wildlife, allowing interaction, exploration and education about animals from around the world.

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