Cork's Fota Wildlife Park unveils new home for family of gibbons

A new house for a family of apes in Fota Wildlife Park has been officially opened by Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran.

The new facility provides the Siamang gibbon family, comprising five individuals, with a modern indoor environment and access to a large island habitat.

Inside, specially-designed heated walls, known as ‘cuddle walls’, let the family choose where to spend their time and how warm to be.

The indoor accommodation is four times bigger than the previous house and is designed for natural climbing and swinging, as well as allowing staff to separate individuals for training and health checks.

The new facility includes sheltered viewing areas and multiple viewing points for visitors.

Aileen Tennant, Fota’s park director, said: “The new Siamang gibbon habitat provides significantly improved, enriched accommodation for the family, supporting their natural behaviours, while meeting the highest standards of animal husbandry and care.

“A well-designed habitat, such as this new house, allows animals to express their natural behaviours while helping visitors develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the species in our care.”

Chairman of Fota Wildlife Park, former Cork TD Simon Coveney, thanked the teams involved in the design, development, and construction, as well as to the Government, who supported the project.

“This long-term support has enabled us to deliver an ambitious programme of investment, helping to establish the park as one of Ireland’s most important visitor attractions and a centre of excellence for species conservation, animal welfare and education,” he said.

The development of the new habitat is part of a range of capital developments supported by the OPW, which also include a wastewater treatment plant, a dungstead, composting facility, and energy efficient heating solutions.

The delivery of these projects was briefly paused due to the bird flu-related closure of the park for 10 weeks in 2025, but all projects have now been successfully delivered.