As of 2023[update] about 60 African lions, along with many tigers and other wild animals, roam over the area of over 30 hectares (70 acres; 0.3 km2) of Crimean foothills by the Taigan Reservoir, and are available for public viewing.

[1] In 2006, Russian businessman Oleg Zubkov, already the owner of the Yalta zoopark "Fairy Tale", purchased real estate on the grounds of a former military institution (НИИ систем связи и управления центрального научно-производственного объединения «Каскад»).

[2][3][4] British journalist Graham Phillips visited Taigan several times, doing video reports from the park, including the "Walk with the Lions", with direct contact with large cats.

Just a couple of months later, Taigan came to the attention of global media again, when a two-year-old lion crawled into a safari vehicle, giving the tourists cuddles, and even licking one woman in the face.

[7] Although the Taigan "Walk with the Lions" safaris initially continued, in April 2019, after a long dispute with Crimean authorities, years of negative publicity, they were finally banned.