Dublin Zoo firm records €1m surplus after record visitor numbers

Gordon Deegan

Dublin Zoo last year enjoyed record visitor numbers as the company that operates the Zoo enjoyed an operating surplus of €1.09 million.

New consolidated accounts for the Zoological Society of Ireland (ZSI) which operates Dublin Zoo and Fota Island Wildlife Park show that income last year increased by €4.28 million to €24.63 million.

These revenues included gate income of €16.73 million while shop income increased from €2.9 million to €3.7 million. Annual pass and membership revenues rose from €1.79 million to €2.89 million.

In her report, President of the Zoological Society of Ireland, Ann Keenan said that she was delighted to report that Dublin Zoo had "our highest total visitor number since our foundation in 1831”.

Ms Keenan said that Dublin Zoo had a total of 1.27 million visitors in 2022, of which 1 million were day visitors, and a record 269,821 visitors came along to view the Zoo’s Wild Lights. Attendances at Fota Wildlife Park in Cork decreased by 12.5 per cent during the year from 474,794 to 415,200.

Ms Keenan said that Fota Wildlife Park recorded the highest first-quarter visitation numbers experienced to date but added that “inclement weather and other issues with accommodation in the Cork area caused some decline on 2021’s all-time record attendance performance".

The 2022 performance continues the rapid turnaround in the finances of the not for profit ZSI as Dublin Zoo had warned in late 2020 that it may run out of cash by spring of 2021 due to the pandemic impact.

In response to the Zoo's warning of running out of cash in 2020, the Government stepped in to provide Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park with €1.1 million in funding to stabilise the parks’ finances while the public inundated the Save Dublin Zoo campaign with donations.

The ZSI last year received €3 million in Government capital grants.

The group spent €5.5 million on Capital Expenditure during 2022.

The surplus last year allowed the board to increase its Emergency Reserve Fund by €500,000 to €3 million.

Staff costs last year increased from €6.07 million to €7.6 million as staff numbers increased from 135 to 175. Pay to 17 key management personnel totalled €1.18 million.

The surplus takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €3.53 million.

A note attached to the accounts stated that a refund in Covid-19 related supports was due back in 2022 with a figure of €46,000 appearing under that heading.