A 'fiercely intelligent' jaguar who won over crowds at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden has passed away aged 20.

Sofia arrived from Chester Zoo just before her 15th birthday having retired from a breeding programme.

She settled very happily into life at the sanctuary in Headcorn Road and was often seen lounging in the sun in the long grass, or resting on her high logs with front and back legs stretched out.

A spokesperson from the sanctuary said: "As soon as she was let out into the enclosure, Sofia’s confidence shone through as she explored without a care in the world.

"Not phased by having a brand new home, a new neighbour in Athena and a new set of keepers, this lady took it all in her stride.

"A very polite jaguar at first, coming into the den without a peep when she was called, always behaving impeccably, as she settled, we began to see her strength shine through.

"Sofia was beginning to make it quite clear to keepers who ruled the roost and exactly where we were in the pecking order.

"A truly incredible, sassy and fantastically intelligent lady. And just like that, she had won our hearts."

Her favourite enrichments often involved being treated to a hessian sack with various herbs and spices, something she carried around like a trophy and kept with her.

One of the memories that stands out to keepers was the time she took a chicken drumstick from a guest and then laid on the floor with the snack clasped between both front paws so she could pick at it daintily.

She showed her intelligence and trust for trainers Emily and Mikey when she was trained to reverse up to mesh and have her tail brought through and shaved so blood could be taken.

A spokesperson added: "Her focus on the food and the keepers while blood was being drawn allowed us to monitor her health in her advancing years and allowed us to do so without administering anaesthetics if we didn’t need to.

"We could see from these blood results that, unsurprisingly for an elderly cat, Sofia’s kidneys were deteriorating.

"This information allowed us to put her on medication to help support her, but we would only be able to slow this deterioration, not reverse it.

"At the grand age of 20 Sofia was clearly beginning to slow down, becoming less active and beginning to show signs that she no longer felt as well as she once had.

"In an ethical review between the team here and our vet, Dr Nic Masters, it was decided that it was time to let our old lady go.

"Anyone who knows Sofia will remember her as a sassy, confident and fiercely intelligent jaguar and an absolute queen until the end. A perfect addition to our cat family, she will be sorely missed by us all."