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Visitors can now closely observe lions with only a glass wall separating them through the new Predator Island project implemented at the Gaziantep Wildlife Park.
Established in 2001 by the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality in an area of approximately one million square meters (247.1 acres) in Burc Forest, the Wildlife Park is home to around 7,500 animals from 350 species.
Ranking among Türkiye's largest and the world's leading zoos in terms of surface area and species diversity, the park hosts visitors wanting to see different animal species up close.
At Predator Island, created on an area of approximately 5,000 square meters within the park, an environment resembling the natural habitats of lions was prepared.
Living conditions were created on the island, designed with greenery, rocky elevations, and wide walking areas, where lions can exhibit their natural behaviors.
Visitors can watch the movements, interactions with each other, and daily lives of the animals from just a few steps away in sections where there is only a glass wall between them and the lions.
On the island, which houses a total of 14 lions, four young lions aged 1.5 years, two females and two males, draw attention with their agility.
In the area, which especially attracts children's interest, visitors record videos and take photos with their mobile phones of the lions roaming just on the other side of the glass.
Necati Kartal, visiting from Istanbul, stated that he liked Predator Island very much and thanked Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Sahin for her efforts in the project.
Hasan Unsal, visiting from Adana, said it was his first time visiting the Wildlife Park and that being at such a close distance to predatory animals was exciting.
Sefacan Cabuk, who came with his family from Kahramanmaras, stated that they encountered an environment intertwined with animals.
Stating that they used to watch lions from a distance before, Cabuk expressed that with the new arrangement they found the opportunity to see the animals up close behind the glass and that he liked the project.
Ali Riza Genc also noted that they visit the park every year and stated the following: "It is better than we expected. I didn't think we would see the animals this closely.
The children loved it especially. We used to come every year, but we hadn't anticipated it would be this nice. We thought we would watch them from afar like before, but now it is very nice."
Osman Gurbuz, visiting the park for the fifth time, stated that they had difficulty seeing the lions during their previous visits, noting that with the new project they found the opportunity to observe the animals closely and found the arrangement impressive.
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