Into the wild at Gaziantep Zoo

GAZIANTEP - Anatolia News Agency

The garden of the Gaziantep Zoo attracts attention for the animals it shelters as well as its natural beauty and scenery. The zoo has a small botanic garden including nearly 500 types of flowers, as well as tropical and exotic plants. AA photos

With everything from monkeys to jaguars and seals to elephants, the Gaziantep Zoo in southeastern Turkey is continuing to offer visitors a walk through the animal kingdom on a nearly 920,000-square-meter area that is renowned for its natural beauty.

The zoo, which is one of the largest in Europe and the largest in Turkey, is home to more than 4,000 animals drawn from 270 species.

The zoo has an aquarium, a pool, monkey and reptile house, cages for winged creatures, and other special areas designed for kangaroos, ostriches, horses, camels, gazelles, mountain goats, deer, elephants, aardvarks, hippopotamuses, seals, Cameroon sheep, lions, tigers, jaguars and others.

The garden has not only attracted attention for the animals it shelters, but also for its natural beauty and scenery. With its large green areas, colorful flowers, café and various rest areas, the zoo welcomes visitors to an area away from the sound and stress of the city.

The zoo was visited by 2.5 million people last year but is expected to draw 3 million by the end of this year.

Rest for eyes and the soul

Gaziantep Zoo Press Officer Özgül Keretli said they were inviting people to spend a day walking through animals, flowers and pine trees.

She said the zoo also had a small botanic garden including nearly 500 types of flowers. “We have tropical and exotic plants. We also grow bougainvillea plants that belong to the Mediterranean region.”
 
Keretli said the Gaziantep Zoo was one of the most important ones in Europe and also in the world thanks to its thousands of animals in 270 species.

“The zoo, which is home to animals brought from all around the world, also draws attention for its natural flora. The zoo has pine tress that were planted by hand in 1960, as well as hundreds of types
of seasonal plants. Visitors have a chance to see animals and natural wonders at the same time. They leave the zoo very happy,” she said.

Keretli also said they had constructed a special pool for three seals that were brought from Mexico, adding that a show performed by the seals was drawing big interest from visitors.