ALERT: Fota Wildlife Park closed to public as bird flu cases are confirmed

Popular Cork tourist attraction Fota Wildlife Park has closed due to the discovery of bird flu in the park’s geese population. 

Bird flu cases in Ireland have risen in 2025, with 41 cases of avian influenza reported in wild birds alone this year. 

Cork-based paper, the Irish Examiner has reported that Fota Wildlife Park will be closed until further notice. 

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon confirmed last night that the park’s dead geese have tested positive for the disease. 

Bird flu was discovered at The Lough wildlife sanctuary in Cork City at the end of September - marking the second outbreak in Cork over a short period of time. 

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The disease is spread by wild birds. 

A farm in Omagh, Tyrone recently culled 20,000 birds due to a suspected outbreak. 

The Irish National Disease Control Centre reported in October that “Since November 2024 there have been 81 outbreaks of HPAI [Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza] in domestic poultry in the UK.” 

Bird flu was first discovered in China in 2022. Over 150 million birds have been culled in the U.S. to manage the outbreak. 

Avian flu is transmittable to humans. The Department of Agriculture have asked the public to report sick or dead birds with the Avian check wild bird application. 

To avoid further transmission of the disease, the Department have advised the following:

• Avoid handling sick or dead wild birds, if possible. Where this is unavoidable, gloves should be worn.

• Keep pets on a leash in areas where there are sick or dead wild birds.

• Do not bring sick wild birds home, particularly if you own or work with poultry or other captive birds.