Lions, lemurs and meerkats enjoy Easter treats

Lions, lemurs and meerkats at London Zoo have been celebrating Easter early with a selection of special treats.

Dan Simmonds, zoological operations manager, said: "While there were no chocolate eggs in sight for the animals, our meerkats and ring-tailed lemurs enjoyed some of their favourites."

Also given something to explore were the Zoo's endangered Asiatic lion cubs Mali, Syanii, and Shanti — who turned one last month.

Instead of food, they were presented with a papier-mâché Easter egg scented with perfumes and spices to play with.

Eight of the zoo's endangered ring-tailed lemurs delved for sweet potato treats inside a handcrafted nest, woven using dried grapevines, twine, and rope.

And meerkats Frank, Penelope, and Dracula were given a papier-mâché egg filled with mealworms.