'Gorgeous boy' Ben sparks memories of hundreds

A safari park said there had been "fantastic" support from the public after much-loved white tiger Ben died days before his 20th birthday.

The "lovely" contributions represented a "great pick me up" following Ben's death, West Midlands Safari Park said, after hundreds of people commented on social media.

His personality "really shone" and he was "definitely a character... in that tiger house," the attraction in Bewdley, Worcestershire, said.

Ben was born at the park on 4 October 2004 and died on Tuesday of age-related health issues.

Its head keeper of carnivores, Kasha Carter, said: "They say 'don't get attached,' but you naturally do, don't you?

"You probably spend more time with these guys than we do with our own pets and families at home."

One woman said on Facebook: "We met Ben on a tiger feeding experience and he made such an impact that when we got a kitten some weeks later, we named him Benny."

Another stated: "Ben was a gorgeous boy and one of our favourites when we visited. RIP Ben. Sending hugs to all who cared for him x."

Meanwhile, one poster said: "Such a sad loss, I remember seeing him many times over the years visiting the park."

Ms Carter said all of the park's cats had their different personalities and Ben was "a great character".

She added: "He was... when he was younger, quite feisty. He definitely had that more active personality and engaged with the keepers a lot more.

"So as he sort of got older, he quietened down a bit, which is very natural for that to happen. But he still [had] it in him when he wanted to, on his good days, bless him."

The head keeper of carnivores said he "really loved bone enrichment, that was probably his favourite, when we'd hang up a meat bone for him".

She added: "His famous look, when he looked at you, he used to get his lip stuck on his tooth a little bit, which was quite funny."

Towards the end of his life, he was "like a grumpy old man, he kind of did his own thing, kept himself to himself".

In 2022, a malignant melanoma was found on Ben's right eyelid, which resulted in his eye being removed. Ms Carter said it was "fantastic how he recovered" and the procedure gave him extra years.

Ben, who was not in a drive-through enclosure, previously lived with his sister and later his mother.

He leaves behind brother Buster, who is a younger than him, from a later litter.

Ms Carter said: "They're solitary animals... they're all in their different pens at night.

"[But] they will engage in each other and we call it chuffing, make like a chuffing, like a greeting noise.

"Ben and Buster greeted most mornings through the hatches."

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