Seven years ago the zoo was accepted as a member of the European Zoos Association, and this recognition of the zoo's high standards has been one of the rewards for so much laborious endeavour, patience and investment. New projects are always afoot at the zoo, the latest being a small natural history museum now in the process of being established.

HAPPY AT HOME
Director of the zoo, Aydan Tekin, explained that living conditions are made to resemble each animal's natural habitat as closely as possible, and that veterinary surgeons regularly check all the animals to ensure they are in perfect health. "Only then are the animals happy, and visitors can sense this immediately," she said. As she spoke a family of chimpanzees in the enclosure behind her was cavorting about doing somersaults. Perhaps this is also why the sparrowhawk which flew off when its cage door was left open by mistake was found waiting to get back in the following day.