08.07.2025 16:42
The owner of the male lion named 'Zeus', who escaped from his cage in the animal park in Antalya and caused injuries to a farmer, Yaşar Kaplan, stated regarding the incident, "He would not attack people; he was a social animal. We are very sorry for the injured person." Furthermore, Kaplan mentioned that he would have 'Zeus' name inscribed at the entrance of his restaurant, saying that he would keep the memory of his deceased animal alive.
On the night of July 5 in the Manavgat district, a 4-year-old lion named "Zeus," which escaped from its cage in an animal park, attacked farmer Süleyman Kır, who was sleeping in a nearby garden. Kır, who was injured in the attack, was taken to the hospital for treatment, while the lion, which was reportedly shot by hunters after the incident, died.
"WE COULDN'T MAKE SENSE OF WHAT HE DID" The owner of the escaped lion, Yaşar Kaplan, said regarding the incident, "I was the owner of the 'Lion Park' here. We brought Zeus's mother and father from abroad. He was born here. He had three siblings. He was normally a very calm animal. When our license here was revoked, we opened a zoo in Antalya. Zeus was there. I think he got stressed when he went there. We couldn't make sense of what he did. We couldn't believe he escaped. We were very sorry for the injured person. We send our best wishes. We never expected Zeus to do such a thing. He normally wouldn't attack people. He was a social animal. Fortunately, the person he attacked had a blanket. He must have been a strong person to have escaped. I was also very saddened by Zeus's killing. I felt as if my child had been killed. We also spoke with the son of the person who was attacked. We conveyed our condolences. We used to play together when Zeus was in Ankara; we were always together. At first, we couldn't believe what happened. I wish these events had never occurred," he said.
WILL KEEP THE MEMORY OF THE KILLED LION ALIVE Kaplan stated that he would have 'Zeus' engraved on the lion statue located at the entrance of his restaurant, saying that he would keep the memory of his killed animal alive.