Lions at an animal visitor attraction were withdrawn from full public view to highlight the decline in population numbers worldwide over the past 50 years.

The animals at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent were "shrouded" with tarpaulins around their enclosures for 90 per cent of the day, to represent the 90 per cent fall in their numbers.

Experts believe there may now be fewer than 20,000 African lions left in the wild, prompting a nationwide campaign by charity Lion Aid called Where Have All The Lions Gone?

Animal director Adrian Harland, who is leading the campaign at Port Lympne, said: "We want to force the public to consider a future when they will no longer be able to see lions.

"Animals like tigers and pandas receive a lot of media attention but if lions decline at the current rate they will be in danger of being lost forever.

"The lions have been very curious about all the attention today, but we hope that a small inconvenience on their part will go a long way towards raising awareness about their plight."

Campaigners at Lion Aid have been shrouding lion statues in 12 cities across Britain from March 2, from Glasgow to the Isle of Wight.