Dublin Zoo

About

Dublin Zoo (Irish: Zú Bhaile Átha Cliath), in Phoenix Park, is a zoo in Dublin, Ireland, and one of Dublin's most popular attractions. Established and designed in 1830 by Decimus Burton, it opened the following year. Today, it focuses on conservation projects, breeding programmes, and growing awareness for animals. Its stated mission is to "work in partnership with zoos worldwide to make a significant contribution to the conservation of the endangered species on Earth". Covering over 28 hectares (69 acres) of Phoenix Park, the zoo is divided into habitats including the Himalayan Hills, Wolves in the Woods, the African Savanna, Kaziranga Forest Trail, South American House, Zoorassic World, Gorilla Rainforest, Orangutan Forest, Sea Lion Cove, and Family Farm (as of July 2022). Overall, the zoo houses about 400 animals across 100 species and attracts over one million visitors each year.

The Royal Zoological Society of Dublin was established at a meeting held at the Rotunda Hospital on 10 May 1830 and the zoo, then called the Zoological Gardens Dublin, was opened to the public on 1 September 1831. The animals, 46 mammals and 72 birds, were donated by London Zoo and Royal Menagerie of the Tower of London.

Initially, the entrance fee was one shilling. What made Dublin Zoo very different from some of its contemporaries was a decision to reduce the charge to one penny on Sundays. This choice made the Zoo popular among the less wealthy.

In 1833, the original cottage-style entrance lodge to the zoo was built at a cost of £30 and in early days also housed staff. The thatch-roofed building is still visible to the right of the current entrance. In 1838, to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria, the zoo held an open day – 20,000 people visited, which is still the highest number of visitors in one day.

In 1844 the zoo received its first giraffe, and in 1855 it bought its first pair of lions which bred for the first time in 1857. After leaving office, President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant was among the celebrities who came to see Dublin's world-famous lions in the 19th century. Reptiles got their own house in 1876 and the first tearooms were built in 1898.

Zoo employee Christopher Flood's son Jack stayed in the zoo during the 1916 Easter Rising to care for the animals with two other young keepers, dealing with food shortages for the animals amongst other problems. He died shortly after from the Spanish flu in his twenties.

On 9 June 1903, an elephant named Sita killed her keeper while he nursed her injured foot. She was put down by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary. Times of trouble and war also caused problems for the zoo. Meat ran out during the Easter Rising of 1916. In order to keep the lions and tigers alive, some of the other animals in the zoo were killed. A lion named Slats was born at the zoo on 20 March 1919, and was one of many lions filmed by the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1928 to be used as their mascot Leo.

Between 1989 and 1990, the financial situation at the zoo became so serious that the council considered closing it. The Government then gave it a meaningful annual grant in line with what happens in other European countries. Thirteen hectares (32 acres) of land surrounding the lake in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin were added in 1997. This made a profound improvement in the amount of space available for the animals.

In 2002, a twenty-eight-year-old hippo named Linda was thrown a tennis ball by a visitor. While she caught the ball, it became lodged in her intestines and she died soon after.

A male and female polar bear couple named Ootec and Spunky were transferred to Dublin Zoo in the early 1980s from Winnipeg Zoo, and lived in "cramped conditions" until approximately 1998 when a new enclosure was built for them in the zoo. In 2003, it was reported that Spunky, the female of the two, had been "exhibiting signs of stress when close to the male", and did not have space in which to retreat from him when needed, exhibiting "continued pacing behaviour" which concerned zoo staff, including zoo director Leo Ooterweghel. Eventually, the two bears were moved to Sóstó Zoo, Hungary in which they were given more space allowing each polar bear to "spend time by themselves" if they so chose but also to come together when needed. Sligo band Those Nervous Animals wrote a song about Spunky in 2003 named "The Polar Bear".

In 2005, the Kaziranga Forest Trail was opened. It is now home to eleven Asian elephants; Bernhardine, Yasmin, Asha and Anak, the four mature females. Kavi, Ashoka and Samiya the five-year-old calves, and the newest additions, Zinda, Avani, Kabir and Sanjay.

In 2009, the African Savannah was opened in the African Plains section of the zoo. It is now home to species such as the giraffe, zebra, ostrich, scimitar-horned oryx, and southern white rhino.

In 2010, Dublin Zoo received 963,053 visitors. In 2015, Dublin Zoo was the third most popular visitor attraction in Ireland with 1,105,005 visitors. The year 2015 also saw the death of the well-known and loved silverback western lowland gorilla Harry. During his life at Dublin Zoo, Harry produced many offspring; thus contributing greatly to the conservation of his species.

The documentary TV series The Zoo produced by Moondance Productions is filmed almost entirely on location at Dublin Zoo, and began broadcast on TV3 in 2010, before moving to RTÉ One in Ireland in 2011. It is also broadcast on VRT in Belgium since 2011 and on Discovery Animal Planet in the UK since 2012.

In November 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public donated over 2 million euro in two days to the zoo to support it.

In Seanad Éireann in July 2022, Annie Hoey reported allegations from whistleblowers of the mistreatment since 2016 of terminally ill animals, including Harry the gorilla, and of the escape or loss since 2019 of two Celebes crested macaques, a white-collared mangabey, and a citron-crested cockatoo. The zoo said it "vehemently disputes" the allegations.

In 2024, two elephants in the zoo died due to Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV). By August 2024, and after "unprecedented support from international veterinary experts, other zoos, and cooperation from An Garda Síochána, as well as the Irish and British governments", the zoo announced a clean bill of health for the remaining elephants.

In 2026, the Zoo announced a promotion of free entry for mothers for the occasion of Mother’s Day & St Patrick’s Day. The promotion featured the comedian James Patrice portraying a character called "The Malahide Mammy". The portrayal of an "Irish mammy" by a man created significant reaction in social media.

The Royal Zoological Society of Dublin was established at a meeting held at the Rotunda Hospital on 10 May 1830 and the zoo, then called the Zoological Gardens Dublin, was opened to the public on 1 September 1831. The animals, 46 mammals and 72 birds, were donated by London Zoo and Royal Menagerie of the Tower of London.

Initially, the entrance fee was one shilling. What made Dublin Zoo very different from some of its contemporaries was a decision to reduce the charge to one penny on Sundays. This choice made the Zoo popular among the less wealthy.