KEEPERS at Cricket St Thomas near Chard are desperately looking for new homes for two of their Amur Leopard cubs.

The cubs are just over two years old and were bred at the park as part of their conservation programme.

They were meant be re-located as soon as they were old enough, but their new homes never materialised.

Andy Holden, education officer at Cricket St Thomas, said: "We have been looking to re-home them for a while.

"We had to wait for them to be weaned and thought something would turn up but no homes came through.

"A lot of people have been commenting on how many leopards we have in a small space, but at the moment we have no choice."

With space and options running low, the leopards are unlikely to stay in the UK if they are to be given new homes.

Andy added: "With these things, we start by approaching zoos in Europe, but nowhere seems to have any room for them.

"So we are starting to cast the net further, looking at America, and other zoos around the world."

Amur Leopards are one of the most endangered species on the planet, with only 30 living in the wild.

Their natural range, in Russia on the borders of China and North Korea, is inhibited by food availability, harsh winters and poachers, who often kill the leopards for their body parts, for use in Chinese medicine.

Andy said: "It would be lovely if we could send them back to Russia, but the area needs to be safeguarded.

"There are too many problems, that if we did, we would be sending them to their death."

For more information about Amur Leopards and Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park, click on the link below.