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If only for a day, the Dublin Zoo is guaranteed to shut the kids up. Opened in 1830, it is one of the oldest scientific zoos in the world and welcomes over 500,000 visitors every year. Sprawling over 12 hectares of Phoenix Park, the Dublin Zoo is home to more than 235 species of wild animals and tropical birds.
Over the years, the role of the zoo has changed significantly from merely providing a spectacle of exotic animals to its visitors, to now providing a habitat for some of the world’s most endangered species as well as actively taking part in breeding, research, and conservation programmes.
A rich selection of themed areas within the Dublin Zoo will have you spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding how to spend your day. The African Plains cover 13 hectares and contain such animals as African lions, chimpanzees, white rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and scimitar-horned Oryx which is nowadays considered extinct in its native Africa. The Fringes of the Arctic contain Siberian tigers, grey wolves, arctic foxes, snowy owls, and Humboldt penguins.
The World of Cats displays jaguars, snow leopards, and Sumatran tigers. The Reptile House includes Nile crocodiles, African rock pythons, African giant snails, and a variety of tortoises. Meanwhile, the South American House features primates such as white-faced sakis, squirrel monkeys, Goeldi’s Monkeys, and the critically endangered Golden Lion Tamarin.
It’s also not unheard of for animals from the Dublin Zoo to become celebrities. Leo, the mascot for MGM film studios, was born at the Dublin Zoo in 1927.
For more information visit www.dublinzoo.ie
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