Dublin Zoo welcomed more than a million visitors through its gates last year, confirming its status as the country’s most popular family attraction.
The Phoenix Park venue boasted an annual footfall of 1,026,611 for 2013, slightly less than the previous year, but still ahead of the million-mark for the third consecutive year.
In 2011, Dublin Zoo attracted more than a million visitors for the first time in its 180-year history.
"Reaching and exceeding one million visitors in 2011 and 2012 was fantastic but to do it for a third year is phenomenal," Dublin Zoo director Leo Oosterweghel said.
“We are extremely proud to be in a position to say that after a decade of continuous investment and development Dublin Zoo is amongst the best zoos in the world.”
The venue’s appeal was enhanced by a number of new arrivals last year including an amur tiger, two snow leopards, an Asian lion and an okapi.
There were also the births of a new southern white rhinoceros calf, a white-faced saki, white-crowned mangabeys and a pair of red panda twins.
The zoo’s new play forest, which has an all-weather children’s playground, was also opened last year.
The venue's Facebook page also reached a milestone last year, attracting more than 100,000 fans in October for the first time.
The upcoming year also promises to be an exciting one with the highly anticipated elephant births and the return of the popular TV show The Zoo, which will air on RTÉ One in Spring.
Mr Oosterweghel said: “High footfall is the most important source of revenue to ensure the Zoo can continue to evolve and support infrastructural development.”
“Dublin Zoo has transformed into a world-class centre of learning about wildlife and conservation. It is also an integral part of more and more European breeding programmes for endangered species,” he added.
