The Courier has teamed up with Blair Drummond Safari Park to offer readers the chance to win a family pass for two adults and two children each week - and learn a bit more about their residents at the same time.
Last week, the park celebrated the sixth birthday of its four lion siblings: Murray, Reid, Isla and Thistle.
The four lions were born to first-time mum Karis in 2016, the day after Andy Murray won Wimbledon for the second time.
To honour this win, Murray was named in honour of the Scottish star.
Park communications and conservation manager Jamie-Leigh Green said: “The four siblings make up half of our current lion pride. They live alongside mum Karis, her sister Libby, and Libby’s two cubs Hope and Faith.
“As a family group, we are lucky to have a nice, settled pride. Everyone gets on well and for the most part, there are very little disagreements.
“Lions are one of Africa’s most iconic animals, and our drive-thru lion reserve is one of our most popular attractions, giving visitors the opportunity to get up close to these magnificent cats.
“Lions are some of the only social cats and live by a strict hierarchical system. Within a pride, female lions are the main hunters. While the females are out looking for food, it is up to the males to protect the young and guard the pride’s territory.
“Lions will use urine to scent mark and create a border around their territory. They hunt for food every few days. They will feed from their kill and then rest until they hunt again. We follow this pattern here in the park, and our lions are not fed every day.
“Instead, we try to vary the amount and frequency of their food as much as we can to better mimic how they eat in the wild.
“We feed our lions chunks of meat, as well as whole animal carcasses.
“It’s beneficial for them to eat whole carcasses, as the fur, skin and bones give their teeth a good clean and provides extra nutrition. It also helps with the lions’ social structure, and you will often find that the pride is much more harmonious in the days after a carcass feed.”
Blair Drummond Safari Park is open seven days a week from 10am until 5.30pm Monday to Friday with 7pm closures on selected Saturdays and Sundays throughout July and August. Tickets can be booked online at blairdrummond.com.
For a chance to win a family pass, which can be used any one day during the park’s opening season this year, pick up a copy of this week's paper and enter our competition.
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