What It's Like:
Just outside of Cork, on Grand Island, is a fantastic nature area like I have never seen before called Fota Nature Reserve. To get there, just take the train from Cork (in the only train station there), on the Cobh route. It’s only about 3 euros round trip, and the train literally stops right outside of the two gates of the park.
What sets this park apart is immediately obvious as you enter the gates and see a herd of lemurs flocking around the cafeteria area. This park is one without bars, a place that is as close to being in the natural habitat as you can get in Ireland. There are half a dozen or so islands with all sorts of monkeys and apes. If you are a bird-lover, then you will be pleased by the gigantic selection of birds, particularly waterfowl, from all over the world. There are also several pens that hold cheetas, beautiful and graceful predators. These pens of course are a little more sturdy than those for the monkeys, but nonetheless, only a few feet and a single fence separate you from up to eight or ten of the animals. Evidently they are bred here and then sent back to the countries from which they originated. Besides these creatures, you have giraffes, zebras, and the extremely rare oryx. The latter animals are thought to be extinct in wild and are very hard to come by in captivity. Fota is a place filled with many endangered animals. They obviously have a point to their game reserve, which is the opportunity to allow you to see firsthand the animals that are struggling for survival.
That alone is a great reason to go, but also is the opportunity to stand on a hill in Ireland five feet from a zebra or giraffe with nothing but a single electrified wire between you and the animal. It is truly an amazing place and a great way to spend an afternoon. Bring a picnic lunch, there is plenty of grassy hillsides from which to eat.