Sadness at death of two big cats

A wildlife park says it is “devastated” following the death of two of its cats.

The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden revealed it had been forced to put down Kafara the lion and Martin the cheetah last Friday following battles with health conditions.

Both animals were suffering from chronic health conditions, and a park spokesman said the decision was made as “keepers were no longer able to provide a high enough quality of life for either of our boys”.

Kafara died aged 17, having arrived at the park as an adolescent with his two brothers, Manzi – who tragically passed away about a year ago – and Tiny.

Keepers described the African lion, who was the leader of a pride of three, as “a kind and gentle soul”, despite his impressive size and weight of 220kg.

The sanctuary says its team will concentrate on caring for both animals’ brothers.