Factfile on Hamerton Zoo

Hamerton Zoo was opened in 1990, and looks after nearly 100 different species of animals in its conservation programme. The zoo has both Malaysian and Bengal tigers, as well as cheetahs in its big cat enclosures. In 2008, one of the cheetahs escaped from the zoo and was found by nine-year-old Toby Taylor in his back garden in Sawtry. Toby, who had been playing on his bicycle with his pet dog, retreated to his house in terror and watched with his mother, Jules, as the fearsome-looking predator made a meal of his bike saddle. Zookeepers later recaptured the three-year-old cheetah, named Akea, after coaxing him into a shed next to the farmhouse, but said the hand-reared animal is “as tame as a dog” and never posed a threat to the youngster. It was believed Akea escaped after a fault with the electric fencing. Danny Bamping, the founder of the British Big Cats Society, which was set up to catalogue and protect big cats, also highlighted the risks of keeping such animals. He said: “Obviously, keeping big cats like lions and tigers is very dangerous and occasionally incidents and accidents happen - mainly down to human error. Some smaller zoos have limited budgets and out-of-date facilities and hence every year all licences are renewed by local authorities after an inspection.”

In April this year a fire destroyed a stable block at the zoo - but no people or animals were harmed in the blaze, although some parrots needed veterinary supervision as a result. It is thought the fire was caused by faulty electrical equipment.