Fota Wildlife Park cyberattack triggers urgent warning for visitors

Ireland’s Fota Wildlife Park announced Thursday that it's in the throes of a major cyberattack and is now warning past and present online ticket holders that their credit card account numbers were stolen and that their cards should be canceled.

The 100-acre wildlife sanctuary, located on Fota Island in County Cork, posted the warning on its website’s landing page (the site is not working) and social media accounts Thursday morning local time.

“Fota Wildlife Park has experienced a cyberattack and is currently investigating the incident,” it said in the announcement.

Park officials said they had notified the appropriate authorities, who are now assisting in the investigation, and that they were currently in the process of notifying impacted customers – specifically, park visitors who had bought online tickets this summer.

“If you carried out a financial transaction on our website from 12th May 2024 – 27th August 2024, you should contact your bank to cancel your credit/debit card,” the Park said.

“Please note this only relates to online transactions and not transactions carried out while visiting Fota Wildlife Park,” it said.

Fota Wildlife Park has experienced a cyber attack and is currently investigating the incident. Fota Wildlife Park has notified the appropriate authorities and is supporting their investigation. We are currently notifying impacted customers. pic.twitter.com/yfYpoeVXLT

undefined Fota Wildlife Park (@fotawildlife) August 29, 2024

The conservation non-profit is considered one of the leading natural tourist attractions in Ireland, boasting about 450,000 individual visitors every year.

Many took to social media complaining they had encountered multiple phishing attacks over the summer, finally understanding how their private information had gotten into the hands of the bad actors.

“I had a very suspicious phone call back at the beginning of July, and they knew all of my details and card details, so it was hacked a good while ago. Canceled my card today, such a horrible thing to happen,” one user commented on Facebook.

“Some pain in the backside this has been!! Why were payment methods kept on your system for months is what I want to know!” another user questioned.

Another user surmised that the park had been hacked more than a month ago, “as i had attempted hacks on my email my twitter account and my insta account. I thought it was very strange to all happen at once, had to cancel 2 cards today as we went twice, so has been a right pain,” they said.

The independently funded conservation and wildlife sanctuary houses more than 100 species of animals, many of them endangered.

The Fota Wildlife Park said it was still open to the public, operating on normal hours, and that visitors can still purchase tickets in person.

“We appreciate your patience and assistance at this time,” the Park concluded, providing a contact email address for those with further questions.

No hacker group has stepped forward to claim the attack.