User:rorynoonanDate:17/03/2013Time:16:02:39Edition:16/03/2013Satsatecho160313Page:1Color:
EE - V1
SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013
EDITION NO. 34,861
Serving Cork for 120 years
80,000 set to enjoy Patrick’s Day festivities THE three-day St Patrick’s Day Festival got underway in Cork city today — featuring street performers from all over the world, mime artists, magicians and entertainers. More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which includes tomorrow’s St Patrick’s Day parade — which will be watched online by 30,000 people living abroad. Children in Mahon held their annual parade yesterday when more than 200 tiny tots, aged from 18 months to five years old, marched through the locality dressed in green. Organiser Eileen Wedel said: “We’ve been running this for 10 years and the children really enjoy themselves. They made their costumes themselves in a local school.” ● See page 2 and 3 for more.
Enjoying the Mahon St Patrick’s Day parade on Avenue De Rennes yesterday were Kyle Kearney and Rhys O’Leary, both from Mahon. Picture: Jim Coughlan
Panda plans for Fota park
● 27-acre expansion to make park one of Europe’s largest WEATHER F TONIGHT
L: 0°C Patchy cloud
Winds: NW at 8-16 mph
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16.03.13 Recommended retail price €1.50
FOTA Wildlife Park has lodged plans for a massive 27-acre expansion that will clear the way for the arrival of tigers, lions, rhinos and rare giant pandas.
The extension will add apF proximately 40% to Fota’s overall size and make it one of the largest wildlife parks in Europe. It is hoped that the first phase of the €6m project, involving the addition of Sumatran tigers, will be complete and open to the public by next summer. The wildlife park has also confirmed plans to secure two
By ALAN HEALY rare giant pandas and will be using Cork’s twinning relationship with Shanghai to strengthen its case. In the meantime, it is planned to introduce a number of new Asian animals to Fota, many of which are endangered. As well as Sumatran tigers, it is planned to introduce Asiatic tigers, rhinoceroses, Japanese cranes, Takin antelopes and Asian bears, if the plans to bring pandas to Cork are unsuccessful. The Asian sanctuary site is being developed behind the penguin and bison enclosures.
It will include 13 new buildings for animals, two new lakes, a second entrance building, a small souvenir shop and a viewing building. Stephen Ryan of Fota Wildlife Park said it had just lodged plans for the exciting project. “Once complete the addition of the Asian sanctuary will make Fota one of the biggest wildlife parks in Europe. “It will add about a mile of extra footpaths,” added Mr Ryan. Given the increase in size, Fota is considering introducing a two-day pass for visitors to give them time to completely cover the park.
e40m Spike Island project sunk - see page 4
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