Privacy policy
Privacy Notice
Data Protection Statement
Fota Wildlife Park CLG(FWP) is committed to protecting your personal data. This
statement (together with our General Terms and Conditions) sets out what information
we collected from you, why we collect it, how it is used and who we share it with. We
will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described below. Please read
the following carefully to find out how we treat your personal data. This Privacy Notice is provided in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (‘GDPR’), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the ePrivacy Regulations (S.I 336/2011)
Who processes your Data
For the purposes of the applicable data protection legislation, FWP is the controller of
your personal data. For any data protection queries, please contact us at:
email: DPO@fotawildlife.ie
phone: +353 (0) 21 481 2678.
Legal Basis for Processing
We rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:
• Performance of a contract (e.g. ticket or pass purchase)
• Compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. CCTV for safety)
• Consent (e.g. for email marketing)
• Legitimate interests (e.g. service improvement, fraud prevention)
Justification: GDPR Articles 6 and 13 require the controller to specify the legal basis for each purpose of processing.
What Data do we collect
Information you give us
We collect information about you when you visit our website and onsite the Park depending upon your interaction with us and the service you request. For example,
when you make an online purchase for admission tickets, annual passes, a ‘behind the
scene experience’, or provide a donation or register for an event, we will ask you for your personal information in order to for us to process your purchase or donation or help you arrange your event. This information may include your:
name
address
contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers
financial information such as credit / debit card information (stored by our payment
provider Stripe)
Photograph / CCTV image (see further information below)
In some circumstances we may also collect sensitive information including information
relating to your health for a variety of reasons such as a private tour, educational tour or
catering. However, we only request this information where this is necessary and
relevant to the reason we are processing your data such as ensuring we can facilitate
your visit.
CCTV monitoring
FWP may collect your personal data through the operation of Closed-Circuit Television
(CCTV) which operate at the Park. The reason for such monitoring is to ensure the
safety of those who use our premises and to assist in the detection and prevention of
crime. Our CCTV system operates for the purposes of safety and crime prevention. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in ensuring public safety. CCTV footage is retained for up to two months unless required longer due to an incident. You have the right to request access to footage where you appear, subject to exemptions. Aligning under the principle of Transparency on lawful basis, rights and security measures being essential. FWP may share CCTV records with an Garda Siochana or other competent bodies and
authorities but only to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
Job Application data
If you apply to work (including research work and work experience) at FWP, we will use
the information you supply to us to process your application and to monitor recruitment statistics. If you are unsuccessful in your application, we will keep your personal information for 12 months. If you request to join our talent pool to find out about future opportunities, we will keep your information for this purpose only for 12 months.
Why we process your data
We process your data in order to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject,
to perform the services you have requested from us, inform you of changes to our
services or to provide you with information about other services we offer.
We may process your personal data for the following reasons:
To provide you with the products or services you have requested- such as sending you
your tickets or registering you for an event
To process your donation
To keep a record of your relationship and communication preferences with us
To enable us to deliver more relevant content to you, through targeted communications
Who we share your data with
We may share your information with agents, contractors or partners of FWP in
connection with services that these individuals or entities perform for or with FWP.
We share your data with service providers including payment processors (Stripe), ticketing platform (Retail Integration), and hosting provider (Microsoft Azure). All third parties are bound by data processing agreements in accordance with Article 28 GDPR. These include but are not limited to Retail Integration who manage online purchasing onour website, providers of archiving services, third party experts, accountants, financial
and tax advisors or external auditors in addition to the Zoological Society of Ireland CLG.
We may disclose or share your data in order to comply with any legal obligation or in
order to enforce or apply our General Terms and Conditions. Our agents, contractors or partners are restricted from using your data in any way other than to provide services for FWP, or services for the collaboration in which they and FWP are engaged. FWP requires that all such agents, contractors or partners enter into a Data Processing Agreement to ensure their observance of appropriate security measures.
Data security
We take our data security responsibilities seriously, employing appropriate physical and
technical measures, to include staff training and awareness. Unfortunately, the
transmission of information by means of the internet, including through e-mail, is not
completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we
cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to or from us by means of e-mail
and any such transmission is at your own risk.
Your credit and debit card information
FWP does not store your full card details on any FWP system. The e-commerce site is
managed by Retail Integration and hosted on Microsoft Azure. When you make a
booking, you enter a secure internet site (indicated by the letters https:// in the address
bar and or a padlock displayed in your web browser). When you make a payment, you
enter your card details directly into our payment provider Stripe’s secure web page. To
protect you against credit card fraud (where someone has discovered your credit card
details but do not have your card), you will be asked to enter the unique security code
printed on the back of your payment card.
Data retention
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and purpose of processing. For example:
• Customer booking and transaction records: retained for 6 years to comply with tax and contractual obligations.
• Annual passes and membership details: retained for the duration of your membership and for up to 6 years thereafter for compliance purposes.
• Job applications: retained for 12 months after the recruitment process concludes, unless you have agreed to join our talent pool.
• CCTV footage: retained for 2 months, unless extended due to an incident or investigation.
• Marketing contact details: retained until you withdraw your consent or unsubscribe.
When the retention period has expired, we will either securely delete or anonymise your personal data. Where anonymisation is used, the data will no longer be identifiable and may be used for research or statistical purposes without further notice to you.
Marketing
We may contact you by mail, email and telephone about our services and other events
involving or relating to FWP which may be of interest to you. You will only be added to
our email marketing contact list if you have explicitly given your permission. Please note
there is an opt-in to receive these emails on the annual pass application or renewal
form. You have the right to request that we stop using your personal data for direct
marketing. To exercise this right, please click the opt-out/unsubscribe link in our enewsletter.
Information collected automatically through our website
Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, provide essential site functionality, and help us understand how visitors use our site.
Cookies fall into the following categories:
• Strictly necessary cookies – required for the operation of our website (e.g. to enable ticket bookings or secure login). These do not require your consent.
• Performance and analytics cookies – help us improve our website by collecting anonymous statistics on how visitors interact with our pages.
• Functionality cookies – remember your preferences (such as language or region) and provide enhanced, personalised features.
• Targeting/advertising cookies – may be set by us or third parties to deliver relevant content or advertisements.
When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie banner asking you to set your preferences. Non-essential cookies (such as analytics and advertising) will only be placed on your device if you actively consent. You can withdraw or update your consent at any time by adjusting your browser settings or using the cookie preference tool available on our website.
For more information, please see our Cookie Policy [www.fotawildlife.ie/pages/cookie-policy], which provides a detailed list of the cookies we use and their retention periods.
Where we store your information
In some cases, your personal data may be transferred to, and stored in, countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). These countries may not provide the same level of data protection as within the EEA.
Whenever such transfers occur, we ensure that your personal data is protected by implementing one of the following safeguards:
• The country has been recognised by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection; or
• We use Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, together with supplementary measures where necessary, to ensure your rights are protected; or
• We rely on another appropriate safeguard permitted under data protection law.
You can request further details of these safeguards, and obtain a copy of the relevant transfer mechanism, by contacting us at contact@fotawildlife.ie.
Your rights
As a data subject, you have a number of rights under data protection law. You may exercise these at any time by contacting us at contact@fotawildlife.ie. Your rights include the following:
• Right of access – to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of that data.
• Right to rectification – to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected without undue delay.
• Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) – to request deletion of your personal data where there is no lawful basis for us to continue processing it.
• Right to restriction of processing – to request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances, for example while a complaint is being investigated.
• Right to data portability – to receive the personal data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to have that data transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to object – to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, or at any time where your data is used for direct marketing.
• Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling – to not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, where that decision produces legal effects or similarly significant consequences for you.
Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. This does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (www.dataprotection.ie) if you believe that your rights have been infringed.
Changes to statement
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in how we process your personal data or to comply with legal requirements.If we make material changes (for example, new purposes for processing, new recipients of your data, or changes to your rights), we will update this Privacy Notice accordingly and, where appropriate, bring such changes to your attention through additional means (for example, a notice on our website or direct communication where feasible).
The most current version of this Privacy Notice will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review it periodically to stay informed about how we use your personal data.
Contact details Data Protection Officer (DPO)
Fota Wildlife Park has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to oversee compliance with data protection law. You may contact our DPO directly with any queries, requests, or concerns about how your personal data is handled:
Data Protection Officer
Fota Wildlife Park CLG
Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, Ireland
Email: DPO@fotawildlife.ie
Telephone: +353 (0) 21 481 2678
Alternatively, send a letter to Fota Wildlife Park, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, Ireland; or
The DPO acts as your point of contact for exercising your rights under the GDPR and for liaising with the Data Protection Commission.