A zoo in Bangladesh is to release 10 lions and seven Royal Bengal tigers into tropical rainforests because it has no room for them.
The tigers and lions have been labelled 'excess'
The big cats will be set free in sanctuaries in the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.
The animals have been identified as "excess", the chief administrative officer of the zoo, Mafizur Rahman told the Associated Press news agency.
"There are eight cages in the zoo. Each of them can accommodate only two animals," Mr Rahman said of the 75-hectare Mirpur zoo in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.
"The other state run zoos have refused to accept the excess animals. Hence they will be released into the sanctuaries of the Sunderban forests."
The Sunderbans is home to about 300 natural Royal Bengal tigers but has no natural lion population.