Fota Wildlife Park celebrates 30th birthday

Celebrations are getting underway at Fota Wildlife Park in east Cork for it's 30th birthday.

A Summer Carnival kicks off today, which the rain will not dampen, thanks to the installation of a huge marquee which will seat 500 people.

Stephen Ryan is head of marketing at Fota; he has been reflecting on 30 years of wildlife conservation at the park.

He said that one of Fota's big success stories is the breeding of Cheetahs.

"Since the park opened in 1983 we have actually bred 178 cheetahs, that is a phenomenal amount of cheetahs that have been born in Cork," he said.

"They have ended up right across the world in all the five continents in different zoos and parks

"The other big thing is our impact on global conservation, we're not only a park where people visit but we're also a place that breeds animals that end up going back into the wild."

Our 30th anniversary carnival starts today with a classic car parade after 11 #FWP30

— Fota Wildlife Park (@fotawildlife) June 22, 2013