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News 2024
Fota Wildlife Park’s Animal Care Manager graduates with PhD from UCC
Declan O’Donovan, Animal Care Manager at Fota Wildlife Park, was among the graduates conferred with a PhD recently. Declan’s commitment to wildlife conservation extends beyond borders, reflecting his wide-ranging experience in Ireland and abroad.
His doctoral research centred on the translocation of a threatened reptile species in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributing valuable insights that will inform the scientific knowledge and conservation of this unique species.
As Animal Care Manager Declan is responsible for the well-being of over 100 species in Fota Wildlife Park. His professional journey began at Fota, where he served as an animal keeper. After further study in the UK, he went on to graduate with a degree in behavioural ecology in 1991. His subsequent 23-year career in the Middle East was marked by significant achievements, including spearheading a successful cheetah breeding programme in Dubai.
In addition to his PhD, Declan also holds a master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Manchester Metropolitan University. His affiliation with the university runs deep: his father, Sean O’Donovan, served as a dairy science lecturer and farm manager at UCC. Notably, in 1981, Sean supervised the initial development of Fota Wildlife Park on land owned by UCC.
Declan believes deeply in education and the long-lasting cooperation between Fota Wildlife Park and UCC, and he hopes the collaboration between two of Cork's iconic institutions will continue.
Declan's PhD supervisor Professor Ruth Ramsay, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences commented: "Congratulations to Declan on this significant achievement, which is a reflection of his commitment to evidence-based animal conservation".
The spring conferring ceremonies saw 320 graduates from the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science conferred with degrees, Masters and PhDs across a diverse range of Science, Engineering Technology and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.