FOTA WILDLIFE PARK has announced the birth of a baby giraffe as the zoo celebrates its 40th anniversary today. 

The female baby Rothschild’s giraffe was born at the end of April to mother Clodagh and father Ferdie and is a descendent of one of the park’s very first residents. 

“The calf’s great great grandmother, Frisky, was one of the founding herd members,” Fota said in a statement.

“The young calf is a pale colour, and she is already displaying similar personality characteristics to her great grandmother Róisín who was a strong, fearless female giraffe!”

Opened on 23 June 1983, Fota is one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions and is home to over 100 species with more than 1,000 animals altogether. Since opening, the 100-acre park has had around 12 million visitors through its gates. 

As well as attracting visitors, Fota does conservation work, including breeding endangered species like the Rothschild giraffe. In 2018, there were an estimated 1,399 Rothschild giraffes living in the wild. 

The park has had success in breeding the sub-species of giraffe with 72 being born in the park since it opened. Fota has also bred 240 cheetahs and 60 European bison.

To celebrate the park being open for 40 years Fota is inviting the public to attend “a carnival style weekend of entertainment and games”, which is taking place this weekend running from today until Sunday.