The pride of African lions at West Midlands Safari Park have been getting into the festive spirit this week. 

On Wednesday, December 15 keepers at the park have created three large papier-mâché puddings and filled them with chunks of meat to give to the lions. 

The puddings only lasted 20 seconds as the hungry pride of 17 African lions tore into the festive puds. 

Senior Keeper of Carnivores, Kate Atkinson said: “This Christmas, we decided to spoil the lions with our own version of Christmas puddings - giant ones with meat chunks hidden inside!

"Not only does it get the keepers in the Christmas spirit, but it also acts as a form of enrichment for the animals in our care.

“Enrichment is an incredibly important part of being an animal keeper and we love having the opportunity to give our animals something novel like a Christmas pudding, or equally something that may be seen more typically in their natural habitat, like a carcass."

Ms Atkinson said the keeper would continue to provide the highest standards of care to the animals on Christmas Day, and ensure the day was just as special for the animals. 

Amber got her hands on the purr-fect puddings first and her two-year-old cub Havoc quickly picked up some scraps. 

The male lions didn't both with the food, leaving the females and youngsters to fight over it. 

The keepers will put out more festive enrichment for the animals, including stockings for the Indian rhinos, disco balls for the penguins and sprout stalks for the giraffes.

African lions are classed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the trade-in of their body parts for traditional medicine, conflict with humans for livestock and depletion in prey. 

Get discounted entry tickets with Kids Pass, book via the website here. 

Need to book a train to get there? The Trainline offers great deals for train tickets. 

Book via the Trainline website here.