Zoo banned from keeping big cats after two lynxes die

A ZOO has been banned from keeping big cats after the death of two lynxes.

It means Borth Wild Animal Kingdom will have to find new homes for animals including lions Zulu and Wilma, and a leopard called Rajah.

Council officers imposed the restriction after Lillith the lynx escaped her pen by jumping over an electric fence.

After a 12-day search, she was shot dead at a caravan park by a marksman amid fears she could attack children.

It was later revealed that a second lynx had been accidentally strangled to death by staff while looking for Lillith.

The ban on the zoo near Aberystwyth, West Wales, also covers a royal python called Gogo.

It has been shut since Lillith was reported missing on October 29 but can now open again.

Owner Dean Tweedy, 50, and his wife Tracy, 47, have 28 days to move the animals or appeal to magistrates against the licence limits imposed by Ceredigion County Council.

They plan to reopen on Saturday. ‘None of the animals will be put down,’ said Mr Tweedy. ‘The lions have been put here because it is the last-chance refuge. If we are their last chance, where will they go?’