Zara the lion cub and Arnie the house cat make a purrfect couple

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Zara the lion cub and Arnie the house cat make a purrfect couple

By Chris Johnson
Last updated at 12:33 AM on 07th July 2008



With whiskers entwined and their furry bodies snuggled close, Zara and Arnie make a purrfect couple.

Unfortunately, the best friends are set for a rude awakening.

Very soon Zara the lion cub will have to say goodbye to her male companion Arnie the ginger tom cat.

After six weeks together, Zara is set to leave the confines of her comfy home to start a new life in Africa. But Arnie will not be going with her.

Cute cub Zara would have died if she had been left with young parents Safina and Zuri, who were struggling to cope with their newborn at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire.

Instead the little lioness joined the family of zoo director Kim Simmons and has become best buddies with their cat.

The happy couple: Zara the lion cub enjoys a lick from tom cat Arnie

Now Zara is set to make another transition - to the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe, Uganda, East Africa, where she will join the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).

Kim said: 'As long as she's going to a good home with a good quality of life, I have to be happy.

'I'll find it a struggle to part with her but I know she will never forget me.'

The UWEC rescues and rehabilitates animals and aims to promote the conservation of wildlife in Uganda and educate children.



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