More than 1m visitors to Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo's annual visitor numbers have exceeded 1m for the eighth year in a row.

New figures reveal that 1,230,145 people visited the Phoenix Park attraction over the course of 2018.

November to January saw 210,235 of those visit the Wild Lights exhibit which marks a 35% increase on 2017.

The zoo welcomed over 100 new arrivals, including an Asian elephant calf and three scimitar-horned oryx calves; a species classified as extinct in the wild.

Director of the zoo, Leo Oosterweghel, said the numbers are a testament to the staff.

Mr Oosterweghel said:

We are continuously reinvesting in the Zoo, building world-class habitats that closely reflect the animals' natural environments and are committed to offering a memorable day out to all our visitors.

Last August, the zoo opened it's €3m Discovery and Learning Centre which provides education programmes in biodiversity, wildlife conservation and zoology for schools and colleges across the country.