Christmas came early for an Irish wildlife park as a group of kind-hearted fishermen delivered fresh and frozen produce to help the pandemic-hit facility offset their animal feed costs.
Fota Wildlife Park in east Cork admitted they were thrilled with the festive gesture by fishermen from Cork and Kerry.
The fishermen were concerned by reports that both Fota and Dublin Zoo were particularly hard-hit by the pandemic and the loss of critical income from visitors.
Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (ISWFPO) members Neil Minihane, from Castletownbere, Tom Kennedy, from Dingle and Anthony Sheehy, from Baltimore, wanted to do something practical to help.
They offered supplies of anchovies, herring and sprat to help support the diet of fish-eating animals at Fota.
A special Christmas delivery of fish was arranged yesterday. Delighted penguins and pelicans made short work of the first feed batch.
The fish were caught by Tom Kennedy on their partner boat, Fiona K III, off the south-west coast last week.
Fota director Sean McKeown said while it has been a challenging year, every bit of public support – from animal sponsorship to donations and feed gifts – has been welcome. Five tonnes of fish have been delivered to the park.
Independent.ie