Dublin Zoo records €625,000 impairment charge after mothballing plans for new restaurant

The operator of Dublin Zoo has recorded a €625,000 impairment charge after mothballing’ plans for a new restaurant proposed for the African Plains area of the zoo.

Also, the zoo closed on Friday, September 11th and Saturday 12th of September arising from security measures in connection with the visit of US President Donald Trump to Dublin. Trump met President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin in separate engagements at the Phoenix Park

A Dublin Zoo spokesman said today using seasonal averages, “we estimate a potential loss of around 5,000 visitors over the two days of closure”.

The spokesman was unable to provide a financial cost arising from the two day closure.

The €625,000 impairment charge contributed to the operator of Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, the Zoological Society of Ireland, recording an operating loss of €1.45 million last year.

In the Society’s 2025 annual report, the directors said that adverse weather conditions and economic pressures affecting visitor behaviour contributed to lower visitor numbers at the zoo and Fota Wildlife Park in 2025 where gate receipt income declined from €17.7 million to €16.68 million.

On the €625,000 impairment charge concerning its “deferred catering development project”, the directors state that the Society secured planning permission for the restaurant f and the board approved the project proceeding to tender stage.

They said that, however, “following a reassessment of trading performance, economic conditions and very substantial construction cost inflation in the intervening period of project planning, the board decided to defer the project indefinitely and instead consider incremental enhancements to existing catering facilities”.

The accounts said that the board “may revisit the project at a future date should economic and operating conditions improve”.

The directors noted that the €625,000 provision “has been made in the financial statements for all project costs incurred to date”.

Overall, 2025 “was a challenging and operationally complex year for the group”, the accounts said.

Trading performance “was impacted by adverse weather conditions, economic pressures affecting visitor behaviour and the temporary closure of Fota Wildlife Park following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza”.

Numbers attending Dublin Zoo, including Wild Lights, reduced by 10 per cent from 1.16 million to 1.04 million while numbers attending Fota Wildlife Park reduced from 428,745 to 408,453.

Along with gate receipt income declining by 6 per cent to €16.68 million, shop income decreased from €3.79 million to €3.36 million and annual pass income declined from €2.9 million to €2.7 million.

However, overall revenues rose from €25.9 million to €26.3 million as “other operating income” more than doubled to €3.57 million which included €700,000 in emergency funding from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for Fota Wildlife Park in response to its enforced temporary closure.