A month ago there was an angel at the top of the Christmas tree, now there is a leopard cub.

Discarded Christmas trees have become toys for a pair of rare leopard cubs at the Wildlife Heriage Foundation (WHF), Smarden.

The Amur leopard cubs, thought to be the rarest big cats of all with just 30 individuals left in the wild, were born in October.

Three month old Anuy and Argun, named after tributariues of the Amur River, are using the trees for hiding behind and climbing on.

The Christmas trees were donated by the friends of the WHF and villagers in Smarden.

The WHF is a breeding programme for endagered big cats. 2008 was an exciting year for staff and volunteers as they not only celebrated the birth of two Amur leopards, but a pair of Sumatran tigers were also born.