Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
DUBLIN ZOO HAS announced the birth of two meerkat pups which join the mob of 16 at the zoo.
Although the furry babies were born at the end of May, their parents kept them hidden in burrows for the first few weeks. Throughout this period, the parents and aunts kept a close watch over the pups in the secret passages located behind a rock, warning each other with sharp barks if there were any signs of danger.
Eddie O’Brien, team leader said both the female pups are doing really well and have recently started eating solids.
Visitors at the zoo can now visit the new arrivals at their habitat in the Meerkat Restaurant.
All images by Patrick Bolger.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Rip to all that have passed
Hoora about time! These real power’s will safe the lives of our health workers and their families and everyone else in our society this is the first-time in living memory people can walk the streets without the real fear of been robbed and assaulted. And they even feel safer in their homes too. I know self appointed civil liberties groups won’t be happy so what! all these people who object to these new life saving laws won’t be in the hospital when you and your family and friends are fighting for their lives from this covid 19 virus.
@Bobby wilson: What happens when the restrictions are lifted? In a population with no immunity, we get another surge. We lockdown again. This isn’t just a few weeks of a lockdown. It’s the first of multiple lockdowns. And that’s unsustainable.
@Bobby wilson: Make your mind up. Is this to stop the spread of virus or to stop people ‘being assaulted in their homes’? You seem to think this is fantastic and will stop criminality. It won’t. You also thought killing all bats a few weeks back was the way to go. Completely batty!
@Mark Kelly: We are in it for the long haul… a marathon not a sprint. They laid it out for us from the very beginning. There is a sunset clause on these restrictions but it’ll depend on how things go.
@Mark Kelly: what happens when the new laws are cancelled and crime shoots back up again!…we will need to look at seriously at having stronger laws in our society in protecting all our law abiding citizens .
@Tracy Moore: Denmark and Austria are opening up while we’re locking down further. There appears to be no plan for after the lockdown.
@TheHeathen: Bobby’s bat sh*t crazy
@Mark Kelly: Those countries also locked down earlier than us. It takes time to control, we don’t have our time done yet.
@Mark Kelly: I don’t live in either of those countries so I can’t really offer any opinion on what they are doing. I do know that the restrictions in place here at the moment appear to be having a positive effect. No country in the world knows the game plan for this one yet.
@TheHeathen: both if possible!
@Mark Kelly: I completely agree with you mark. A second surge is inevitable after this lockdown.
@Stephen Glassett: obviously you paid no attention at all to the flatten the curve plan
@Dave O’Keeffe: there will be a second (and more) wave, but those that caught it this time won’t be part of the spread, reducing its limit. It also has a slow mutation, so it’s not like seasonal flu. Ironically compared to the UK, we will manage to achieve herd immunity by preventative flattening instead of upfront overload. Unfortunately, we didnt address the second part of Johnson/cummings plan to limit it to older people in nursing homes.
@Bobby wilson: I think it’s long past time they were also issued with firearms , and if Ireland agreed to buy them of the USA it would be a big deal for us
@TheHeathen: because it reduces any gurriers from traveling freely across the land! they are all still hiding out in their safe house’s till it ok to come back out and carry on what they do best! the amount garda out they are feeling the pressure!
@TheHeathen: unfortunately it’s not bats that are dying but are fellow humans in very large numbers!
@Mark Kelly: Austria were 2 weeks ahead of Ireland in first case and lockdown. They hit 12,000 cases and started seeing a drop in deaths in the last 2 weeks.. They are easing the lockdown back to the level we were at 2 weeks ago. Opening small shops under 400sqm. So comparing us to what Austria are doing is not helpful.
@Stephen Glassett:
i was talking to a deeply religious person a couple of weeks ago , They reckon corona is God is punishing us for abortion , supporting celebrating the murder of defenseless babies , what goes round comes around
@Karllye kripton: cop on dope
@Dave O’Keeffe: if we had no cases here tomorrow we would only be weeks away from a new curve. Only end to this is a vaccine or we only isolate the people most likely to be affected by the virus. No easy options
@Bobby wilson: well said
@Bobby wilson: Have you a piss pot under your bed,
@Bobby wilson: You have absolutely no idea how bad this is for our civil liberties in the long-term. This is not something to celebrate
@Vladimir Macro: all of the people on the island on the Ireland are fighting like mad to safe the lives of their families and friends so they can get through this crisis because of this dangerous virus. This why we have these emergency laws to protect their lives. otherwise thousands of Irish people will not survive this virus .And you are more concerned of these restrictions than Irish people lives.
@Mark Kelly:here are the type of conditions that will probably need to be satisfied before anyone can think about lifting the lockdown, together with comments on how far along Italy is in being ready.How does the picture in Ireland fit in with them today? In any case, lifting will be a very slow process, a bit here and a bit there over a long time.
Starting to get a bit annoyed about how figured are being protracted. Today there have been c. 5700 cases recorded in Orelnd, but more than half of these have recovered, of which there is no mention. Nor of the fact that of the remainder 95 percent will recover with no major ill effects.
The only numbers that matter presently is the rate of admission to hospitals, then ICU and the numbers of deaths. The rest is largely irrelevant since there are undoubtedly more people infected then tested, the can’t really be mich in the way of ordinary community transmission since community has been disbanded for almost four weeks and I can’t see where this oft anticipated surge is going to come from without mass infections taking place.
Ireland has done very well in this crisis, let’s not screw it up by communicating fear when a bit of hope doesn’t go astray.
@Gerard Carthy: there is mass infection in the nursing homes etc , the death rate will go up quickly now for a while and as of today the icu’s In the mater are full going by one of the above articles
@Gerard Carthy: *Ireland
@Gerard Carthy: fully agree and this reporting the median (middle) age of those who have sadly passed away is just an oblique way of trying to hide that the average age of those who have passed away is far higher. If they are massaging figures or trying to hide the real information people will lose trust very quickly.
I now think The Journal are doing this on purpose to be sensationalist: “a further 36 people have died from Covid-19″. The Dept of Health said 36 people diagnosed with Covid 19 have died. I.e. it was a contributory factor. Either sensationalism, or very sloppy journalism.
@Mark Kelly: it depends on the angle you take but various media have taken the same since day one.
@Mark Kelly: also “thousands flee Wuhan” No, they have just gone out cause they lifted the restrictions. The journal loves the dramatic headlines.
@Mark Kelly:
“We would encourage children and families to put Easter 1916 imagery, artwork etc in your windows”.
– Mairéad Farrell
Sinn Féin celebrate cowards who murdered women and children and now they expect children to support the IRA
@Alan McArdle: of course they have sensationalism sells!
The Don is accusing the WHO of dropping the ball on Covid 19. The guy has some neck.
@Alan McArdle: President Trump is right though. The WHO seem to have been serving the interests of the Chinese; the opposite of what they should have been doing.
@Barry Doyle: trump dropped the ball open your eyes he’s just trying to shift blame again. He denied it was a pandemic 4 weeks ago and is now claiming he knew all along. He’s a danger to humanity.
@Ultan: I understand; it’s victim blaming saying he should have been more reactionary though.
The perpetrator of the CCPox is China and the WHO should have had an eye on them.
@Barry Doyle: it’s really not victim blaming as he is not a victim. He should have been proactive, or even active rather than reactive. He was warned well in advance. He undermined their ability to be ready for such an occurance also.
@Barry Doyle: – Joined February 2020 so another fake account.
Please, WHO have been warning about a possible pandemic for years, no one listened. In January, after China called them in, WHO announced a the danger of the COVID-19 virus, in February, Trump was saying that it wouldn’t impact that much, a few deaths, it be gone with the weather in April. Only a week or two ago Trump was saying the US will be opened for business by Easter weekend. Hopefully, when the dust settles and the dead are buried, the voters will remember his inactions and his prioritisation of the economy over their lives in the November elections.
@Dave O’Keeffe: The whole world has fallen victim to this…the blame for the China virus is on the CCP.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: Dint know how I’m fake Jim, I seem real to me.
Anyway, China only told the WHO when it was way too late. President Trumps action wasn’t ideal in retrospect but it would be deranged to blame him, to say his outfit was revealing.
@Barry Doyle:
since Trump became POTUS no sex trafficker is safe and that makes hollywood extremely angry for some mysterious reason
@Barry Doyle: he’s wrong. He called it a hoax, hardly anyone has been able to get a test. Medical staff can’t get the proper equipment. All this after WHO declared the situation a global emergency in January. Was that not enough? It has to make it to their doorstep before they take it seriously. Boris Johnson is a perfect example of that. China didn’t make the rest of the world stupid. No one was paying attention.
@Andrew Keane: No one knew. Except the CCP.
@Barry Doyle: and what about what the President of the United States should have been doing – nice try at deflection – but his own advisors like Navarro were warning Trump in Jan and Feb about the dangers and of course he claims not to have read the memo – incompetence at a time he was saying it was a hoax. it was only 15 people and it would reduce to zero cases and not be a problem – the whole WHO BS is just a deflection to his incompetence – how many died in the US today because of his poor actions – shameful – and idiots like you trying to be Trumpets defending him should jog on – we don’t care what you think.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties need to catch themselves on… (again).
There are new emergency laws enacted giving the Gardai powers to deal with the people who see fit to ignore the current lock down by travelling to holiday homes.
People breaching the lockdown deserve to feel the full brunt of the law… no exceptions.
@Gerry Madden: there’s a balance between protection and totalitarianism. The laws have to be enforceable and resources in place to enforce them. We are simply not used to being restricted in this way. However there needs to be limits on the duration of these laws. The public health concern has to be weighed against the restrictions on civil liberties and the damage to the economy. Descent is vital in a functioning society , the Chinese silenced the doctors who flagged this and it got out of hand very quickly.
@seanmccann: Enforceable? Resources?? Simple example… put a single guard on the main road into Kilkee, Co. Clare 100 yards from the town boundary to stop, fine and turn around the steady stream of Dublin registered cars coming into the town.
These people, (if from Dublin) are travelling from the biggest cluster of covid-19 in the country into a town that, to date, appears to have been spared from the virus.
They got plenty of warning about the consequences of travelling to holiday homes. They left their “civil liberties” behind when they started their journey.
It’s a temporary restriction – hardly totalitarianism. If you see it that way, it’s likely you’re part of the problem. If people weren’t so selfish the lockdown wouldn’t require this level of enforcement.
The Blue Shirt nature of Fine Gael is exposing itself. It never went away. But it has the sneaky support of Fianna Fáil and the silence of Sinn Féin and the so- called left that have seats in the Dáil.
@Nathan: Huh?
@Nathan: Sinn Féin are only silenced by the media – if you are interested in what SF are saying you have to search for it
@Bernie Mullen Carroll: Surely Lou McDonaldcan Holland a press conference as I am sure she has before. Virtually certain that if a public statement is made by her on the issue of the denial of civil liberties it would be published. Perhaps you can notify us as to what she is saying on the subject that you claim the media is failing to report
@Nathan: would the so called left get elected if we had another election.
I’maybe them in charge during this crisis
@Nathan: What denial of civil liberties? Are you really going to pull that card and say that you should be entitled to do what you want – travel where you want etc. in a time of a pandemic?
Do you care that little for the vulnerable in our society?
@Nathan:
“the silence of Sinn Féin”
murder, sex abuse, intimidation, cover ups .. you’d stay silent too if you were SF/IRA
When this is all over perhaps we might get daily reports on the number of people who pass away due to the ordinary winter flu. Their lives could also be prolonged if generally visitors to nursing homes were required to use sanitizers in ordinary times.
82000 people have now died from coronavirus. Picture a full house in Croke park on all Ireland final day. It’s a lot of people unfortunately.
@Damien: globally it’s not that many. people died accidentally in the last 3 months
I agree fully Nobody is safe until everybody is safe with this new pandemic.
@Mick Tuohy: defo agree, I really don’t see this being over, until it finishes
@Mick Tuohy: nobody is ever safe. Life is not safe. People die. And they are*only* reporting ‘covid19′ related deaths, and to a captive audience too. Please keep it in perspective and look up stats – the numbers are being completely blown out of proportion and anything to do with this covid19 is being completely sensationalized.
Heart Attack Death = Covid-19
Cancer Death = Covid-19
Pneumonia Death = Corvid-19
Regular Flu Death = Covid=19
This is what some New York nurses said was happening at their hospitals. Peoples deaths were been finalized as been from covid-19, even though the nurses said that these patients did not actually die from the covid-19 virus. Other very similar stories are now coming out from other nurses around the world too. It’s very strange, indeed!
@Maximilian Wilde: it is utterly insane
Are the nursing homes not locked down? No visitors allowed? No worker (emergency medical services included) allowed in without precautions and temp taken? Deliveries left outside etc?
Park gates are closed and rightly so.But I saw a van and two cars blocking an entrance to tymon park yesterday.
If an ambulance needed to gain entry quickly they would be stumped.
Can the Councils put up notices and the Gardai ticket or clamp lazy thoughtlesspeople who could have parked 10 foot away.
@David Glynn:
Yeah…and that van is probably a SF van….
Surely a decision on whether the lockdown is lifted or extended will be before Friday?
People have bought into the brainwashing and mass hysteria over this flu bullshit
How many people died today from other causes
I’m 63
What a croc of shit the guards out there telling people to pay fines of 2500 when they have shutdown the economy so to hell with their 2500 they can pay that too on top of the 350 a week
It’s a flu deal with it!
What a crock of shite
How many people died from heart cancer pneumonia stroke and the rest compared to this flu bug huge difference I would say
I see Borris recovered quickly enough from the publicity stunt
Mother of God
What next ?
The horse flu?
@ciaran carroll:
Yoiu sound like a pre-intensive care Boris!
Dr Holohan is looking increasingly like a man ready to break.
Take a day off. Reflect and do your country a service, tell the truth.
@Jim Buckley Barrett
Not everyone has a fake account, I’m tired of hearing this.
The Guards are trying to do their Job, but Gemma O ‘ Doherty is some “Cee You Next Tuesday”
Excluding micro-states (population less than one million) as of today:
Deaths per million: 9th in the world.
Tests per million: 22nd in the world.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Yeah, Leo and FG are doing a wonderful job!
We’re all subs now
Sad to see these numbers, i live in New Zealand and as soon as it reached 100 infections here the government put the whole country into complete lockdown for 4weeks,pharmacy and supermarket only things open.its been 2weeks now and daily cases have dropped from peak of 90 a day down to 24 today.. I wish Ireland had of acted sooner but seems business is more important than people
Selfish people bringing the virus to every corner of the country
I agree with Michael o caellachair
What a load of horseflu
Sorry if I got the spelling wrong Michael
But you couldn’t write this script for carry on coronavirus
I’d say tommy tiernan will have a field day with this and make a few euro when this bullshit is over
Never seen anything like it before I’m weak!!
@ciaran carroll:
“Never seen anything like it before I’m weak!!”
You need to phone your GP.
Jaysus @thejournal, just do a new story. This updating lark makes the original comments seem inflammatory.
Which leads to more “engagement” therefore more expensive advertising space, we get that business must go on but don’t kill your core reason for being.
@Cormac Laffan: Btw if you’re stuck in traffic around Oilgate in Wexford atm it’s because of the roadblock. Yep, roadblocks are a thing in Wexford right now, wed 8th @7pm.
Cones on the hard shoulder, no turning back, if you’re heading to Wexford atm then turn around now.
And rich selfish people are breaking the restrictions
We now live in a police state with no freedom at all
We now live in a police state with no freedom
Source: Patrick Bolger" title="">
Source: Patrick Bolger" title="">
Source: Patrick Bolger" title="">
Source: Patrick Bolger" title="">
Source: Patrick Bolger" title="">
Source: Patrick Bolger" title="">
have your say