You might expect to see them in the plains of the African savanna or high in the Himalayas, but you can also find big cats in Kent at the Big Cat Sanctuary open days in Smarden next week.

Dedicated to the breeding of endangered big cats and helping to fund field conservation projects, the 38-acre sanctuary in the heart of Kent became a charity in 2004.

It has more than 50 big cats including African lions, white lions, leopards, Sumatran tigers, cheetahs, jaguars and pumas.

The sanctuary is not open every day but specialises in one-off events and experiences, while its annual open days are always popular.

Some 10,000 people regularly attend the days. Here's who to look out for:

YARKO THE SNOW LEOPARD

A handsome boy who arrived in June 2013. Snow leopards have long, dense fur and small ears, with a long tail that doubles as a scarf when sleeping.

They are experts at retaining body heat and have wide paws for walking in the snow. Dappled shades of grey, yellow and creamyish white colours give them a perfect disguise in their preferred rocky terrain.

With a global population estimated at fewer than 2,500 mature adults in the world, they are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

THEMBA THE LION

Gentle giant Themba spent a lot of time with his cubs when they were young but nowadays likes to snooze in peace.

The pride of lions is given an entire horse carcass once a week so their feeding is as close to what it would be in the wild. The group bond by grooming one another, calling and also feeding together, so they are fed in a manner that is similar to how they would eat in the wild.

The last sighting of a wild white lion was in the Timbavati region of South Africa in the 1970s.

MANZI THE LION

As in the wild, lions at the sanctuary like Manzi sleep for between 16 and 20 hours a day – they don’t use energy unless they have to! They walk around the edges of their territory. A lion’s roar can travel as far as five miles. Wild lions often come across smells that are new and unfamiliar and, to keep them guessing, keepers introduce new scents such as herbs and perfumes regularly, as well as boxes and bags to play with and destroy.

Manzi came to Smarden with his brothers Kafara and Tiny from Woburn Safari Park, who were all hand-reared from 19 days old when their mother could not produce milk for them.

DETAILS

The Big Cat Sanctuary in Headcorn Road, Smarden, holds its open days from Thursday, July 21, to Sunday, July 24. For details of this and other events visit whf.org.uk, call 01233 771915 or email enquiries@ whf.org.uk