Close Encounters of the Animal Kind

Fota Wildlife Park is one of the lesser-known gems of Ireland, especially suited for families with kids. There are acres and acres of land where you can let them roam free. While at the same time lemurs, capibaras, kangaroos and other furry things do the same, leading to some surprising and often magical close encounters. Okay ... there are llamas roaming free as well, you might want to keep your kids away from them. Or face the prospect of cleaning some sizeable flecks of saliva off your offspring.

Fota has animals ranging from the mundane to the exotic, most in spacious enclosures or strolling through the park at will. It is also home to a very successful cheetah breeding programme. And before you ask - no, the cheetah's diets are are not supplemented by letting them loose on visitors.

Have a sneak peek at my Fota Wildlife Park image gallery, maybe this attraction near Cork will feature on your travel agenda soon.

Photo © 2008 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.