Jeans 'Designed' By Lions And Tigers To Benefit Japanese Zoo

"We first take their favourite playthings – old tires and giant rubber balls – and wrap them in sheets of denim."Then we return them to the animals and let nature run its course."The animals roar, gnaw and claw at their toys, and when they're done we gather up what's left of the damaged denim. It is from this unique fabric that we make the jeans."

"Rather than simply being a marketing [gimmick], there is actually value in this from an animal welfare perspective. Involving lions and the zoo's other large carnivores in the activity is part of what's called environmental enrichment. This is the provision of stimuli to help improve well-being. It's a win-win activity for many zoos, who can make alternative profits from their animals, which tend to be used to provide extra facilities for them."Wrapping denim around a tyre to make enrichment devices for toothy carnivores is just one way that zoos have profited from their animals' hobbies over the years. Since their inception, zoos have looked for different ways to fund their activities. London Zoo when it first opened would let in penniless visitors for a cat or dog to be fed to the carnivores. Visitors with money were offered other things to keep themselves amused as they looked at the animals."