Antalya’s Butterfly Park to be opened on Eid al-Fitr

With a TL 5 million ($1.84 million) investment, the Butterfly Park in southern Antalya will open to visitors on Eid al-Fitr, the three-day festival marking the end of Ramadan. The park will be located on 1.23 acres in Antalya's Kundu region. Barış Dursun, the general manager of the Butterfly Park, said in a press meeting that the preparations began six months ago. The new park will have special breeding sections for 10 butterfly species, five of which are tropical and the others domestic.

Ladybugs will also be bred in the park. Dursun said butterflies always amaze people, especially children. He said they are the "small life friends" of nature, explaining that they are focusing on flora and fauna tourism, an important aspect of ecotourism. The park will contribute to tourism revenues and develop the tourism industry. "The new park will be Turkey's biggest butterfly park. Visitors can see butterflies in a specially designed enclosed area extending 2,000 square meters.

The park will be home to thousands of butterflies from 50 different species brought from 25 countries," Dursun said. He said the park will feature a botanical garden, wild animals, birds, special habitat for ants and a section where visitors can watch the honey-making process in beehives.