A popular north wildlife park celebrated its 40th anniversary on Wednesday.
Since opening in 1972, the Highland Wildlife Park based at Kincraig has played a key role in the conservation of the world’s most endangered animals.
The attraction has now risen from its humble beginnings to the ranks of an important player in the survival of some of the world's most threatened species, such as polar bear and tiger.
Eddie Orbell, the park’s founder, said it began as an ideology to conserve animals indigenous to the region.
He said: “We decided on the theme today of indigenous animals of Scotland and Britain past and present, so are exhibiting bears and wolves.”
The park was also famous for raising a brown bear cub named Hercules, who managed to escape in the Western Isles in the 1970s.
George Rafferty, a vet at the park, said: “There was no word of the bear for three weeks until a crofter in North Uist went to get peat for the fire and met the bear face to face. That’s when we managed to be reunited.”
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