Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork is to close on Tuesday and Wednesday as a precautionary measure following the suspected outbreak of avian flu. <\/p>\n
The park is home to hundreds of captive exotic birds as well as thousands of free flying native species.<\/p>\n
It is understood a vet became concerned when three geese at the wildlife park were found dead.<\/p>\n
They have been sent for testing at the State Laboratory in Co Kildare to see if they had contracted the highly contagious virus. <\/p>\n
Fota Wildlife Park, which opened in 1983 and attracts more than 400,000 visitors annually, is home to several species of exotic birds as well as dozens of native species that feed and nest throughout its 40 hectares of grass and woodland near Belvelly in east Cork.<\/p>\n
Among the many exotic birds benefiting from conservation breeding programmes at the park, located 10km from Cork city, are Chilean flamingos, Indian peafowl, Humboldt penguins, great white pelicans, white-tailed sea eagles and ostriches.<\/p>\n
The wildlife park is also home to free-roaming native birds such as magpies, jackdaws, greylag geese, mallard ducks, common wood pigeons, moorhen, black-headed gulls, little egrets, robins and wrens.<\/p>\n
If tests confirm the geese at Fota died as a result of avian flu then it will be the second outbreak of the disease in Cork in the space of a month, following another at the Lough area of Cork city toward the end of September.<\/p>\n