I’m dreaming of A Wild Xmas
Arctic foxes and snow owls provide taste of North Pole at Donegal park
SOME seasonal guests have checked into the Wild Ireland sanctuary to bring a festive feeling to Donegal.
Snow might be scarce in the North West but four beautiful Arctic foxes and two snowy owls are helping visitors discover the wonders of the North Pole closer to home.
The animals are joined by a VIP guest, as Santa is spending two weeks of “quarantine” in Burnfoot before his travels on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas Experience at Wild Ireland has become a real hoot with local families.
Santa set up his grotto and toy workshop as soon as lockdown lifted and, after a year of highs and lows, the festive guests are giving everyone a lift.
“Somebody said to me, ‘ You’ve saved Christmas’, and I thought that was nice,” said Killian Mclaughlin, founder of Wild Ireland.
“Everybody was so down and we didn’t know if we were going to get open for Christmas or not. When we were allowed to open up, I thought it’s time to bring Christmas cheer to the l ocal community. Wild Ireland i s perfect for a safe outdoor experience, so I thought we’ll do something to lift children’s spirits.”
Santa and his friends have become a big attraction. In line with the park’s ethos, the new residents all have ancestral links to ancient Ireland . Wild Ireland started in 2019 with brown bears, wolves and a lynx all being brought back to a land they once roamed.
Killian said: “During the Ice Age, Ireland had snowy owls, Arctic foxes and even reindeer. As the ice sheets
started to move north, the animals moved with it. They believe Arctic foxes in Iceland came from Ireland and England. Lots of fossils have been found in Ireland, where they lived here around 40,000 years ago.”
The new f oxes didn’t have far to travel this month, as they grew up i n Ki l l i an’s own home.
T h e B u n c r a n a man i s a solicitor by trade but also has a degree in zoology and is no stranger to taking unusual animals under his wing.
He said: “I’ve had Arctic foxes since I was a wee boy, some of my cubs went to Dublin Zoo.” Families who come to see Santa will also get to see the park in a whole new light – as thousands of fairy lights are installed along the paths.
Killi an added: “We are open until 8pm and i t ’s a magic e x p e r i e n c e a t n i g h tt i me. Yo u can see the wolves and the bears in the forest that we have lit to look like moonlight. We don’t guarantee you’ l l see the bears all the time because we expect them to hibernate any day now, but they are still venturing out.”