Zoo camera records tree-climbing tigers up close

BLACKPOOL, England, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- England's Blackpool Zoo is giving tiger fans an up-close look at the big cats with a camera mounted on a tree where zookeepers place the predators' meat.

The GoPro camera footage released by the zoo shows adult tigers Zambar and Alyona climbing the tree to retrieve meat from its branches and the pair's 7-month-old cubs, Barney and Radzi, climb the tree to emulate their parents.

Zookeepers said placing the meat in the tree encourages the tigers to develop the leg and shoulder muscles they would use to take down prey in the wild.

"This is the first time we have used this kind of technology so close to the animals and the results are stunning," said Adam Kenyon, the zoo's section head of mammals.

"We've actually managed to get some amazing footage of Zambar and Alyona climbing the tree, but more importantly we've got some fantastic footage of the two little guys climbing the tree just like their mum and dad. Because they are young they like to explore and just like any other young animals or even our own children, at that age they are extremely inquisitive. So we've been lucky enough to see them climb the tree themselves, they've even been getting really close to the camera!"