Play-fighting tiger cubs, a roaming wolf pack and lions relax in the sun: Longleat Safari Park releases candid snaps of their big beasts enjoying life during lockdown to show visitors what they’re missing
- Keeper Caleb Hall took pictures of the park’s famous lions as well as their colonies of tigers and wolf pack
- The Amur tiger cubs Rusty and Yuki were pictured playfighting, resting and hanging out with their mother
- Caleb plans to take pictures regularly and share them online until the park reopens to the public
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Longleat Safari Park released candid photos of their lions, tigers and wolves showing visitors what they’re missing during the lockdown.
Big cat keeper Caleb Hall used the time the park was closed to pictures of the Wiltshire park’s famous lions as well as their two colonies of tigers and wolf pack.
The Amur tiger cubs Rusty and Yuki, who were born in July last year, were captured playfighting, resting and hanging out with their four-year-old mother Yana.
Longleat Safari Park’s Amur tiger cubs Rusty and Yuki were born in July last year. Big cat keeper Caleb Hall captured them playfighting
Copy cats: the tiger cubs both raise their paw and mirror each other as they play in the grass of the Wiltshire park
The pictures of the park’s grey wolves include one of a pack running towards the camera. Caleb took the pictures from the safety of a 4×4 car.
Longleat’s pack of wolves is made up of alpha male Jango and alpha female Eliska and their six pups.
Caleb said: ‘Despite all the dramatic changes taking place across the country, the animals here in the park are pretty much carrying on as if nothing has happened.
The tigers relax in the spring sun while Longleat is closed to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak
Caleb Hall says he wanted to give those who would visit at this time of year an update and some pictures they can share and enjoy
Caleb catches a picture of the reflection of the sleepy tiger in the water as it yawns and rests on a bed of leaves
Caleb plans to carry on taking pictures and sharing them while the park is closed. The tired big cat curls up and naps on the bed of leaves
Longleat’s pack of wolves is made up of alpha male Jango and alpha female Eliska and their six pups. Some of the pack are pictured running towards the camera
‘I wanted to give the tens of thousands of people who would normally be visiting at this time of the year a bit of an update and also provide them with some images they can share and enjoy.
‘We are all hoping it won’t be too long before we welcome the public back but, until then, I plan to be regularly uploading new images online and sharing them on our various digital platforms.’
Longleat opened in April 1966 as the first drive through safari park outside of Africa and has been welcoming millions of visitors through its gates ever since.
The wolf pack enjoy the empty safari park as they run around happily on the grass while the park is closed
Caleb took the pictures of the wolf pack running towards the camera from the safety of a 4×4 car
The lions were the first animals to arrive. They have two prides of lions on the estate who live in separate enclosures.
The easiest of their lions to spot are called Harry, Claus and Simba.
It closed to the public from March 27 due to the coronavirus outbreak but they offer a ‘virtual safari’ which people can watch from home.
The last time the park had to close to the public was during foot and mouth restrictions in 2001.
The lions were the first animals to arrive at Longleat when it opened as the first drive through safari park outside Africa in 1966
Big cat keeper Caleb Hall said the animals in Longleat Safari Park are ‘pretty much carrying on as if nothing happened’
Longleat Safari Park closed to the public from March 27 due to the coronavirus outbreak but they offer a ‘virtual tour’ which visitors can watch from home