Educational weekends at Cork's Fota Wildlife Park

Fota Wildlife Park has announced details of the lineup for its 2025 educational weekends, with a programme of interactive, family oriented events to run over three weekends across July and August.

The programme opens this year with the Wild Science Weekend on July 12 and 13, which will feature a range of interactive displays, talks and demonstrations designed to make science topics accessible to all ages.

Among the exhibitors will be the Tyndall Institute, Irish Bee Conservation Project and The Lifetime Lab@Old Cork Waterworks, who will be presenting hands on activities such as MathsWorks and VEX Robotics.

A highlight of the event will be a giant, walk-through model of the human digestive system, created by the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at UCC, offering an insight into how food moves through the body.

The Native Species Weekend on July 26 and 27, will focus on Ireland’s rich biodiversity with a series of interactive exhibits and biofacts showcasing the native wildlife and conservation efforts of the country.

Among the organisations taking part will be Fota Wildlife Park’s Education team, Dublin Zoo, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Nature Network Ireland, Irish Bee Conservation Project, and Atlantic Technological University, Galway.

The Bug Bonanza Weekend will return on August 16 and 17, focusing on invertebrate biodiversity including talks and displays on insect life, both local and exotic. The full list of exhibitors for this particular weekend has yet to be confirmed.

Speaking about the events, Aileen Tennant the director of Fota Wildlife Park said:

“Fota Wildlife Park, a conservation charity, aims to inspire people to understand and conserve the natural world through conservation education and one of the great tools we have to engage our visitors is the summer series of educational weekends.

“We want to spark curiosity and connect visitors with science, nature, and wildlife.

“These weekends give families a chance to explore complex ideas in a hands-on, accessible way, with the help of expert partners from across science, academic and conservation fields.”

For further information visit https://www.fotawildlife.ie/.