A white lion who had lived nine happy years at a big cat sanctuary has died.

Keepers at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, near Headcorn, were forced to take the “heart-wrenching” decision to put Ngozi to sleep after a short illness.

The nine-year-old male, who lived his whole life by his sister Imara’s side, was suffering from kidney failure.

A statement from The Big Cat Sanctuary said: “We are sad to announce that after a short illness, we had to make the heart-wrenching decision to put our male white lion Ngozi to sleep.

“The cat team noticed Ngozi did not appear to be his normal self for a little while.

"Careful monitoring in the days that followed and attempting treatments did not seem to improve Ngozi’s condition and so our vet, Nic Masters, visited to take some blood.

“Sadly, the results showed that Ngozi’s kidneys had failed, and it would not have been ethical to wake him up from his anaesthetic.”

Ngozi was born at the Headcorn sanctuary in 2013 to parents Joy and Themba and he had three sisters.

As Ngozi grew older it became clear that he would have to be separated from his father to avoid a battle for dominance.

The lion’s keepers kept a close eye on the family’s dynamics and when they decided it was time they moved Ngozi and his favourite sister, Imara, to a different part of the compound to start their own pride.

Sadly Imara will now have to live without her brother but the sanctuary says staff will be watching her closely at this difficult time.

Described as a striking lion with a thick and impressive mane, Ngozi was a favourite among visitors to the sanctuary.

“Ngozi was always such an impressive and indescribably beautiful cat, and a formidable presence here and he will be sorely missed...”

The Big Cat Sanctuary is a centre for welfare, breeding, education and conservation for all kinds of large felines.

A glimpse of the 32-acre compound and the animals living there can be caught when travelling by train from Headcorn towards Ashford.

The sanctuary is a registered charity and is home to a variety of wild cat species, including some of the world’s most endangered.

The statement continued: “Although it is never possible to know what is round the corner when taking care of these incredible animals, this has taken everyone a bit by surprise.

“Ngozi was always such an impressive and indescribably beautiful cat, and a formidable presence here and he will be sorely missed.”