'We lost many birds, every one of them an animal we care deeply about': Fota wildlife park reopens to visitors after ten-week closure

Fota Wildlife Park has reopened to the public after a ten week period of closure due to an outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu).

Former Cork TD and minister and now member of the Fota Wildlife Park board of governors, Simon Coveney, told The Echo it is "a fantastic day – the last 10 weeks has been really quite traumatic for staff".

“Over 70 birds were euthanised, virtually all disease free, and for a centre of conservation that’s a tough thing staff have to stomach. There’s also been real uncertainty about the future - ten weeks is a long time, and this organisation costs well over €100,000 a week to run.

“We would usually be bringing in €80,000 or €90,000 a week to cover those costs, even in quiet periods, so it’s been really challenging financially.” 

Mr Coveney added: “This was in absolutely no way Fota’s fault - the bird flu came in from a wild bird population, and the vaccination policy saved the vast majority of birds here. Fota were unlucky, but they’ve responded heroically to the challenges, as have the government who have provided financial support so we can move into 2026 in a strong position.

“Park director Aileen Tennant has been here last 18 months and it’s been a very challenging period between the cyber-attack last year and the bird flu this year, but she’s managed incredibly well – this is a very resilient place”, he said.

Ms Tennant told The Echo: “Our vaccination programme has been really successful, and we’ve had really strong biosecurity protocols.” 

She said they were delighted to open the gates once more: “The families are the lifeblood of the park, seeing curious kids coming in and learning, the magic family memories created.” 

Speaking at a reopening ceremony this morning, Ms Tennant said that the closure had been the most challenging period in their four decades.

“A lot of difficult decisions were made, some which were very upsetting, which kept us awake at night. We lost many birds, every one of them an animal we care deeply about.” 

Ms Tennant thanked the Government, public, and staff for their support, saying: “Our team worked behind closed gates for 10 weeks ensuring animal welfare never wavered, showed up every day even when future was uncertain.” 

She also thanked Fota Island Resort and Fota House and Gardens, who delivered “treats that boosted everyone’s spirit” even though the closure of the park had a knock on effect on their own visitor numbers, and the many children who had sent letters and cards saying how much they missed the park, saying: “The animals will definitely be excited to see you, as will the staff.” 

Cork TD and minister of state with responsibility for biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan also spoke at the event, saying: “With avian flu, it’s hard to know what the future trajectory is, but we need to do more”, adding that his department is monitoring wild bird populations and working on reporting and responding procedures.

He said a recent government allocation of €700,000 to the park to support its conservation efforts was a “no brainer”, highlighting the importance of the work they do to preserve both native and exotic species at risk of extinction.

President of Cork Chamber, Rob Horgan, told The Echo: “The park is hugely important for everyone; it’s an outlet for Cork children, it brings tourism to the region. It’s vital to see it open again, and it’s a credit to entire team and to the government for supporting them.” 

John O’Halloran, UCC president, added: “It’s fantastic to be here and see the park reopened. People are really committed to Fota and it’s great they can continue to focus on animal conservation and being part of an amazing education infrastructure across the country.”