Why You Should Visit Dublin Zoo

From fragant botanics, exotic habitats, and beautiful creatures – there’s something for everyone at Dublin Zoo!

Attracting over 1 million visitors each year, Dublin Zoo remains to be one of Ireland’s biggest attractions. It is remarkably well-known for its wide range of animal and plant friends that stay at the facility, as well as the amazing local community work that they do. The grounds are also a beautiful sight to see. So without further ado, here are four great reasons why you should visit Dublin Zoo:

1) To see the Wildlife, of course

Dublin Zoo clears €1m in donations after pandemic appeal

With over 400 rare, exotic, and endangered animals in its care, Dublin Zoo has a large variety of grounds to explore. Each habitat is inspired by the wild, creating an exciting and immersive experience for the visitors as well as a homey environment for its inhabitants. See their newest habitat ‘Wolves in the woods’ live-in-action and many others such as The African Savanna, Gorilla Forest, Sea Lion Cove, and many more.

Discover their diverse ecosystems; Dublin Zoo is also home to over 2000 plant species that have been placed all around the grounds from Bamboo to Irish oak. They also make it a point to provide a comfortable environment to allow native Irish species to thrive.

And if you’re building up a roaring appetite while walking through the grounds, there are more than enough restaurants and eating facilities to enjoy all around the park. In the Meerkat Restaurant, for instance, you can sink your teeth into some hot meals or freshly-made salads and sandwiches whilst watching the meerkats.

2) Learn about it’s long, colourful history

The 190-year-old history of Phoenix Park is an appealing legacy to pique the curiosity across families and experience seekers for contact with nature. Originally established as The Zoological Society of Dublin in May of 1830, it was one of the fruitful landmarks which helped to stop the stagnation period after the act of union in 1800 with the Kingdom of Great Britain. However, the public relationship with the citizens did not start until 1840 with Sunday openings. As cheap as six pence might seem nowadays, in the beginning, the finances relied on subscriptions from society members.

3) Learn more about wildlife conservation and awareness

What You Can Do - Dublin Zoo

Wildlife awareness at Dublin Zoo is delivered with passion. For decades, the zoo has been dedicated to helping endangered animals on a global scale and a daily basis. Part of this is by educating the public on the importance of wildlife and conservation – and how we can imbed this in our daily lives. No matter how big or small, young or old you are – we can all benefit from learning about the world around us as well as the many creatures that we share it with.

Although if you are keen on actively learning more about wildlife conservation and helping out your local environment, Dublin Zoo has a living classroom open to all ages. Facilitating school visits, one-day workshops (online and in-person), summer camps, and courses for educators, everyone tag along and learn something new.

4) Discover a whole new world at the Wild Lights experience

Embark on a magical journey ‘Around the World’ where you’ll be able to see some of the planet’s most iconic and well-known landmarks in bright lights from a new perspective. See your favourite landmarks Eiffel Tower and the great pyramids of Egypt like never before as Dublin Zoo is transformed, showcasing a beautiful display of colourful silk lanterns.

This unique night-time experience will take place from the 28th of October 2021 to the 9th of January. So hurry and get your tickets soon.