London Zoo's lioness shows support for England namesakes

London Zoo's Asiatic lions have shown their support for England's Lionesses ahead of their first match in UEFA Women's EURO 2022 football tournament on Wednesday.

Cheering on the team, London's lioness Arya and her mate Bhanu marked the start of the women's tournament and England's first match by playing with giant footballs, designed for strong, fast and agile animals to enjoy.

The metre-wide boomer balls - super-tough balls made to withstand the force of a lion's game - were painted to look like footballs, and scented with the pride's favourite aromatic herbs and spices, after being gifted by ZSL's supporters Liontrust.

Zookeeper Tara Humphrey said: "Our pride of lions are roaring on England's Lionesses ahead of the tournament - and they really enjoyed getting a chance to play themselves - our lioness Arya showed off her dribbling skills!

"As a global conservation charity, we know what it means to have the support of others - and Liontrust have long been supporters of our big cats - we'll all be cheering on the Lionesses this week!"