10.07.2025 16:53
A male lion named 'Zeus', who escaped from his cage in Antalya, was shot and killed after injuring a farmer he attacked. The owner, who wanted to keep the memory of his lost animal alive, had a symbolic grave made for 'Zeus' in front of his house.
A 4-year-old male lion named 'Zeus', who escaped from his cage in a zoo in Manavgat, Antalya, entered a nearby garden and attacked farmer Süleyman Kır. While the injured farmer was taken to the hospital for observation, the lion, which was reportedly shot by hunters, lost its life.
HE HAD A GRAVE MADE IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSE
Yaşar Kaplan, Zeus's owner who lives in Ankara, had a symbolic grave made in front of his house in memory of his slain lion. Overcome with grief, Kaplan, who could not hold back his tears, stated that he has been going through difficult days due to Zeus's death.
"I SEE ZEUS WHEREVER I LOOK"
Speaking at the head of the grave decorated with teddy bears and photos of Zeus, Kaplan said, "Zeus was like my own child. My sleep patterns have been disrupted due to his death. I am taking sedatives. I can't sleep at all. I see Zeus wherever I look. I feel like my child has died. Nothing has changed. I wanted his memory to live on with this grave. Zeus had been living with me for 4 years since he was a baby. I wish he hadn't been killed. I am very sad. I remember the day he was born. I was feeding him with a bottle, playing with him, living with him. He was such a social animal. I am even in shock, how could this happen, how did it happen? I don't forget him because he grew up in my hands. Every morning when I leave the house, I look at his grave when I come home at night. It has been 2 days since I made his grave. At least his memory can live here. He left Ankara, came back to Ankara. We made a symbolic grave for him. His body remained in Antalya," he said.
"SAYING HE WAS A SOCIAL ANIMAL DREW REACTIONS"
Kaplan also spoke about the reactions he received for saying Zeus had social instincts, stating, "Zeus was very different for me. Of course, I was sad. I visited him every time I went. He would get excited when he saw me. He wanted attention; he was a very social animal. You saw in my videos, he would hug and play. It drew some reactions when we said he was a social animal. People reacted because they didn't know him. There was no reason to kill him. At most, he could have been put to sleep and given to a zoo. I think they killed him because they panicked, thinking he might harm someone else. In fact, he wouldn't have."
On the banner he hung at the grave of his lost lion, Kaplan wrote, "You walked with pride, you protected silently. There were mountains in your eyes and love in your heart. Now you reign among the stars."