Trying to keep the kids entertained over the summer can prove difficult – but Dublin Zoo may have the perfect solution.

Head of conservation education Niamh Potter told Moncrieff that while the grounds are currently in the midst of school tour season, the busy period will continue right through the summer.

26/04/2021 Daniel Meagher aged 2 with his aunty Nicole Meagher from Blanchardstown as the zoo gets ready for reopening. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

“Once we finish with our teachers, we dust ourselves off and we get ready for four weeks of summer camps with seven-to-12-year-olds,” she said.

“They do things like preparing enrichment for the animals, and then they could be observing animals.

“We have a brilliant team of teachers at Dublin Zoo, so they’d be doing all kinds of creative activities for the children.

“We have tents put up around the side, so we’d be based there, meeting zookeepers and all that kind of stuff – so it’s great.”

Ms Potter said that while children do not get up close and personal with the animals for safety reasons, it is still a hands on and interactive experience.

Claire Ryan and Fran Hanley wearing face masks passing Dublin Zoo in November 2020. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

If you’re just looking for a regular visit to Dublin Zoo, Ms Potter said there are many new and exciting events on the horizon.

“Coming into the summer, we’re busy with our dinos, we have a Zoorasic Trail Takeover weekend at the end of June,” she said.

“And for the first time ever, we have a Run for Wildlife three-kilometre run in July.

“It’s not necessarily for all the serious runners, if you’re a casual jogger, you can do it too, run around – not inside with the animals – but near the animals.”

According to Ms Potter, earlier in the year the zoo was excited to welcome a female bongo into the world, as there are less than 100 of the species left in the world.

Main image: Visitors arrive at Dublin Zoo. Picture date: Monday April 26, 2021.