Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Wildlife Park has added another innovation to its huge size and has started to offer a different experience to its visitors. The Tropical Koi Park prepared in Gaziantep Wildlife Park, which is the largest in Türkiye, the 3rd in Europe and the 4th largest in the world, opened its doors with the participation of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin and many citizens. Mayor Şahin became the center of attention by bottle-feeding colorful koi fish brought from Japan and China at the opening ceremony.
Beauties from Far Away Met in Gaziantep
The newly opened Tropical Koi Park brings the dazzling beauties of the Far East to Gaziantep. 27 thousand baby koi fish, specially brought from Japan and the People's Republic of China, started their new lives in a 500-ton giant pool meticulously prepared within the natural life park. The koi fish, which transformed the pool into a work of art with their vibrant colors such as red, white, black and silver white, were presented to the citizens in this specially created environment. While visitors had the opportunity to observe these elegant and colorful creatures closely, the bottle-feeding event, which was also attended by Mayor Fatma Şahin, was the scene of colorful images.
Special Eid Message to Children from President Şahin
The opening ceremony of the Tropical Koi Park was combined with the excitement of April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day. Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, who made a speech at the opening, sincerely celebrated all children's day and gave meaningful messages. Mayor Şahin said, “105 years ago, when there was no other children's day in the world, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his friends declared the first Children's Day in Türkiye. They left us an important legacy: Children are our future. With this understanding, we are building Gaziantep as an animal-friendly, child-friendly and nature-friendly city. When you, children, become the mayors of this city in the future, I believe that you will make these beauties even bigger. The fish in our pond are still babies. We will raise them by feeding them together. Koi fish are really special and delicate creatures. They will grow much faster if you feed them with a bottle. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the opening of this beautiful park.”
Veterinarians Thank President Şahin
Gaziantep Kilis Regional Veterinary Chamber President Meltem Peri, who attended the opening ceremony, made a speech and thanked Mayor Fatma Şahin for her sensitivity towards animals and the innovations that were made. Peri emphasized that the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality's efforts towards animal health and welfare were commendable.
African Safari Good News Also Given
Celal Özsöyler, Head of the Department of Natural Life Protection, provided detailed information to citizens about the Tropical Koi Park at the opening ceremony. Özsöyler made statements about the unique characteristics and habitats of koi fish, and shared the latest status of the African Safari project under construction at the Gaziantep Natural Life Park. Özsöyler gave the good news that the visitor experience of the park will be further enriched with the completion of the African Safari, and stated that this new section will be put into service as soon as possible. With these new projects, Gaziantep Natural Life Park is taking firm steps towards becoming one of the few natural habitats not only in Türkiye but also in the world.
