İzmir Wildlife Park (Turkish: İzmir Doğal Yaşam Parkı) is a non-profitzoo in İzmir, Turkey.[1] It was opened on 30 November 2008 following the closure of the İzmir Zoo. The park, which has nearly 1,800 animals from 132 species, was established on an area of 425,000 m2 in the district of Çiğli. It is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Animals brought from the closed İzmir Zoo and from abroad are exhibited in their natural environments. Around 900 thousand people visit the park annually.[2]
History
The construction of İzmir Wildlife Park started in 2006, after it was decided to close the İzmir Zoo, which was opened in 1937 as Turkey's first zoo and located within Kültürpark, and to move its animals to the new area in Çiğli.[3][4] İzmir Wildlife Park, which was built on an area of 425,000 m2 with a construction cost of 21 million lira, was opened by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality on 30 November 2008.[5] It has been a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria since 3 April 2011.[6] In 2013, it was deemed worthy of an award in the "municipal services, landscape and environment" category by the Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, which was established within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.[7] Infrastructure renovation work was carried out in the park in December 2023.[8]
Animals and exhibits
Asian elephants in the park
As of November 2023, there are nearly 1,800 animals from 132 species in İzmir Wildlife Park.[8] Swans, ducks and waterfowl are exhibited in the 8,450 m2 pond.[9] There are giraffes, zebras, hippos, ostriches and nyalas in the African savannah, which is built on an area of 18,000 m2.[9][10] Monkeys, velvets and black macaques live in the 6,600 m2 monkey islands, which consists of two islands.[9] Eagles, hawks, vultures and owls are exhibited in the birds of prey section, established on an area of 2,000 m2.[9] The 3,000 m2 Poultry Shelter houses waterfowl, ducks, storks, partridges and ibises.[9] In the section called Children's Zoo, there are small horses, dwarf goats, Cameroon sheep, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, and land and water turtles.[9] Tropical Center, which is the first of its kind in Turkey, is 2,300 m2 in size and has 66 animals from 18 species.[11] Some of these include snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, fish, macaws, marmosets, and fruit bats.[9][10] There is an area of 14,500 m2 for Asian elephants in the park.[9][12] Some of the other mammals found in the park include kangaroos,[13] meerkats, ground squirrels, guinea pigs, coatis, gazelles, fallow deer, red deer, camels, wild goats, hyenas, bears, wolves, lynxes, ring-tailed lemurs, pumas, lions and tigers.[9] Other birds exhibited in the park include white pelican, crested pelican, peacock, pheasant and parrot.[9]
^"Ziyaretçilerimiz". izmirdogalyasamparki.org.tr. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^"Hoşgeldin İzmir Bebek"(PDF). izmirdogalyasamparki.org.tr. August 2011. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
