They have been introduced and have stayed together ever since.

Now keepers at a big cat centre hope to hear the patter of tiny paws of rare Amur leopards.

Five-year-old Artur and Xizi, three, hit it off after being introduced to each other at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Smarden.

There are just 30 Amur leopards left in the wild and 140 in captive breeding programmes.

It is hoped that the pair will breed, which would be an exciting achievement for all staff and volunteers at the centre as it is yet to be home to baby big cats.

Mark Edgerley, director of the WHF, said: “Since March we have been waiting for what we thought would be the correct moment for the introduction.

“It went really smoothly, the cats greeted each other, explored their respective partner’s enclosures and within an hour were mating.

“They have remained together since the introduction and the team is really pleased with the results so far.”

A friendship between two lionesses is also blossoming. Masindi and Leah are going to Uganda, hopefully in late August, to join a captive male lion to form a new pride for the Ugandan Parks Department.

The WHF is home to 25 big cats. Though not open to the public, visitors can opt to be a keeper for the day or take part in a photography course.

For more information go to www.whf.org.uk