Happy 9th Birthday, Asha!

Asiatic lioness Asha had treats by the sackload to mark her ninth birthday today.

ABOVE: Beautiful birthday girl Asha locates one of her sacks of treats

DZG’s Big Cat Keepers filled hessian sacks with straw and treats for the birthday girl in honour of the occasion.

Staff scattered them around the one-acre Lion Ridge paddock Asha shares with her nine-year-old sister, Kyra, and the pair went off in search of the sackfuls of surprises.

ABOVE: ALL MINE – Asha savours one of her goody bags

Section Leader, Jay Haywood, said: “We made sure Asha had piles of presents on her ninth birthday so we planted nine sacks around the enclosure for her to find.

“With the help of her sister, Kyra, they got stuck in to the treats and had a very enjoyable time.”

The pair were both born in Edinburgh and were then moved to Twycross Zoo before arriving at DZG on 17th November, 2009.

Today just 250 – 300 Asiatic lions survive in the wild and these are restricted to the Gir Forest Wildlife Sanctuary in Western India, a site sadly threatened by habitat destruction, encroachment by humans and poaching.

Many Happy Returns Asha – Don’t forget to pass on your birthday greetings if you visit Lion Ridge today!