Turkey’s parliament is planning to bring more attention to animal rights in the country via the unusual method of opening a zoo outside its buildings in the capital, Ankara.
Set to sit in the grounds of Ankara's Grand National Assembly, the new zoo will stretch across 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) if it receives approval and will feature pheasants, partridges, quail, squirrels, deer and peacocks with other species to be added over time.
The new zoo project will be decided upon by the parliament’s speaker, Mustafa Sentop, in the near future and it comes as a result of increasing worries over animal welfare in Turkey.
Some local authorities in Turkey, such as Antalya, provide welfare for animals, including street-level water and food points for dogs and cats. Others, however, are reportedly far more barbaric, collecting and culling strays in large numbers.
A number of animal abuse scandals have arisen in the country recently as well, prompting the government to pass a bill for harsher justice and sentencing for animal cruelty convictions last year and forcing the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to prioritise animal rights legislation.
A parliamentary draft bill in November promised to tackle animal abuse by increasing sentences to up to five years imprisonment and handing out strong fines to those who abandon their pets.
In a tweet put out last June, Erdogan said: "Protecting animals is not just our duty but a requirement of our faith.
"Animals are not property but living beings. We brought out the first law on animal protection in 2004. In the new period, we will prioritise the bringing into force of the government draft containing new sanctions in relation to animal rights."
