Lion ‘Zeus’ Escapes in Manavgat Zoo, Seriously Injures Local Farmer, Later Shot Dead

In the early hours of July 6, 2025, a male lion named “Zeus” escaped from his enclosure at a private zoo in Ilıca, Manavgat. The lion attacked a local farmer named Süleyman Kır, who was resting in a field near the D‑400 highway, leaving him injured. Authorities swiftly launched a major response: police and gendarmerie units sealed off the area, and wildlife officials tracked the lion as it moved toward a wooded region. Considering the imminent threat to public safety, security forces made the decision to shoot and kill the lion. The zoo has since been cordoned off, and local government officials, including the District Governor and the Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation, have opened both an administrative and criminal investigation into how the animal managed to escape.