The recent political troubles between previously close allies Turkey and Israel are well known and there seems to be little love lost between the top leadership in both countries. But it appears that things are working out just fine between the two countries, at least on the "zoo to zoo" level.
As the Jerusalem Post reports, Israel's "Biblical" zoo in Jerusalem (dedicated to showcasing animals mentioned in the Old Testament) and another zoo are sending some of their overstock to a zoo in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep. Included in the shipment are lemurs, a zebra and three elephants (one of them, Gaby, the first "Israeli" elephant born via artificial insemination).
“There’s no connection to politics," Shmulik Yevdad, the Jerusalem zoo head curator, told the Post.
"At the end of the day, everyone wants them to be in a good place.... we’re not working government to government, we’re working zoo to zoo. Happily, everyone is working together for the good of the animals, and all the politics are just not relevant.”
The full article is here.
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