Fota Wildlife Sanctuary in Fota, Ireland

I was fortunate enough to visit an animal sanctuary in Fota, Ireland and was pleasantly surprised at the conditions in which the animals were kept. The enclosures were nice and large (and clean!), there were plenty of attendants around the premises taking great care to feed the animals properly, and the animals seemed happy. I would much prefer that they were still in the wild, but with the state of mankind as it is, I don't know whether they'd be any better off in the wild. Mankind, as we've learned, on the whole can't be trusted to care for the wild animals we share this planet with and there are times when I feel that some animals are actually better off in a sanctuary where they're regularly fed, provided the stimulation they need, and are safe from predators (namely .... man). This was such a case. I was lucky enough to snap a few photos. None are fantastic, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the animals in this beautiful setting. Perhaps the U.S. and other countries could learn something from Ireland (which has very high standards for its animal sanctuaries).

If you're ever passing through Fota, Ireland (it's an island), stop by the Sanctuary and take in the beautiful views of the animals.

Below are a few photos, with information from good ole Wikipedia about each species.

Black Swan

A black swan and her young

Photo: Keon Robertson

The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. Black Swans are large birds with mostly black plumage and red bills. They are monogamous breeders that share incubation duties and cygnet rearing between the sexes.

Mallard Duck

Female (right) and male (left) Mallard Ducks diving for food

Photo: Keon Robertson

The Mallard ( /ˈmælɑrd/ or /ˈmælərd/), or Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos), is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropicalAmericas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia.

The male birds have a bright green or blue head, while the female's is light brown. The Mallard lives in wetlands, eats water plants, and is gregarious. The Mallard is the ancestor of most domestic ducks, and can interbreed with other species of genus Anas. Among close relatives of the Mallard this hybridisation can cause genetic dilution, which is contributing the decline of rarer species of ducks.

Leopard

Leopard

Photo: Keon Robertson

The leopard (/ˈlɛpərd/), Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a "Near Threatened" species on the IUCN Red List.

Penguin

 Dapper penguins

Photo: Keon Robertson

Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend about half of their lives on land and half in the oceans.

Ring-Tailed Lemur

Ring-tailed lemur

Photo: Keon Robertson

Ring-tailed lemur

Photo: Keon Robertson

The lemur is a primate endemic to the island of Madagascar. Known locally inMalagasy as hira or maky (spelled maki in French), it inhabits gallery forests to spiny scrub in the southern regions of the island. It is omnivorous and the most terrestrial of lemurs. The animal is diurnal, being active exclusively in daylight hours.

Animals Matter.