A modest rise in visitor numbers in spite of adverse weather conditions saw Fota Wildlife Park’s surplus almost triple in 2023.
According to recent accounts filed to the Company Registration Office, the wildlife park posted a 3.6% rise in total visitor numbers last year, with just over 430,000 attendees recorded in 2023.
That is up from 415,200 visitors in the previous year, with the wildlife park saying income grew in line with attendee numbers.
The company said it achieved record-high visitation and income in the first half of 2023, surpassing similar periods since the park’s opening in 1983.
However, it noted that excessive rainfall between March and July had a “detrimental” effect on visitor numbers, leading to a significant reduction of 16,812 visitors against its budgeted attendee numbers forecasted for July.
This corresponded with a 220% increase in the average monthly rainfall in 2023, Fota added.
It also noted a 22% reduction in the number of visitors holidaying in the Cork area in 2023, largely due to the lack of available accommodation compared to pre-2021 levels.
Despite this, Fota Wildlife posted a surplus of €329,134, up from a surplus of €113,268 in the previous year.
The company had net current assets of €1.3m, down from €3.3m, with its net assets increasing to €13.7m, up from €13.4m in 2022.
The wildlife park employed 76 people on average last year, with total wages and salaries in the period rising marginally to €2.2m.
Looking forward, Fota Wildlife said climate change, disease outbreaks and changes in the economic environment remain potential risks for the park, adding that it has taken measures to minimise these risks including capital works on the Sea Wall to mitigate climate change.
In 2023, Fota Wildlife said it assisted with the augmentation of wild populations of three critically endangered native species namely the Curlew, Corncrake and Natterjack toad.
The projects facilitated the return of these three species to habitats within Ireland and a total of 1,870 animals were returned to the wild during 2023 which is 60% more than the total of 1,170 animals in the care of Fota at the end of last year.