THE giant cats of Longleat have been given their very own scratch post to try to stop them destroying the park's oak trees.
The four-metre tall post, wrapped in 80 metres of rope, has been positioned in the second of the safari park's three big cat enclosures, which is home to a pride of seven adult lions.
Deputy head keeper, Ian Turner, said: "It is basically a scaled-up version of the scratch posts you see for sale in pet shops.
"The only difference is ours is 12 feet tall, needs to be able to withstand the attentions of a quarter of a tonne of lion and it doesn't have any of those fluffy pink balls hanging off it.
"We've sited the post in an area which we know the lions use a lot and we're hoping that their natural curiosity will persuade them to try it out."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article