Edinburgh Zoo has celebrated Valentine's Day by sharing a selection of photographs of its animals interacting with love-themed objects — and fans have called the snaps "adorable".
Taking to its Facebook page, the zoo uploaded images of otters, sloths, and sun bears with Valentine's Day treats that were given to them by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
As reported by the Daily Record, in the pictures, sloth pair Fe and Mo can be seen sharing a moment together.
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Meanwhile, Malayan sun bear Babu was gifted a box of treats to share with fellow bear Rotana, and the zoo's otters were given Valentine's boxes with love-themed puns painted onto them.
Sharing the pictures on Facebook, Edinburgh Zoo wrote: "Happy Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air, so BEAR yourself for some OTTER cuteness from some of our favourite pairs, having a SLOTH of Valentine’s fun."
Almost 600 people have since liked the post, with many also leaving comments.
One wrote: "Aaaaaaaaaaw otters and sloths 2 of my favourites, adorable need to come and visit them soon."
"I adore sloths," a second revealed alongside heart emojis.
A third commented: "Soooo excited to see these cuties today! A perfect Valentine’s Day."
"With 4 new babies I doubt the Otters have spare time for Valentines," another joked.
The release of the cute photographs comes as the RZSS looks to its other park near Kingussie in hopes a selection of Scottish wildcats will also be getting amorous in time for Valentine's Day in a bid to boost numbers of the endangered species.
Around 16 of them have been paired up for the first-ever breeding season at a special centre at the Highland Wildlife Park, which is also run by the wildlife charity.
The European partnership project is working to restore Scotland's critically endangered wildcat population by breeding and releasing them into the wild.
Kittens from this season, which could be born as early as spring, will be among the first to be released in 2023.
Saving Wildcats conservation manager David Barclay said: "Several cats are now paired and settled and we're already seeing really encouraging mating behaviours.
"Our expert keepers have done an amazing job at preparing our enclosures and introducing the cats, giving them the best chance at breeding success.
"Wildcats are Scotland's most iconic animal but also one of our most endangered.
"Without future releases, the wildcat's days in Scotland are numbered.
"Once widespread in Britain, habitat loss, hunting and inter-breeding with domestic cats have all taken their toll, leaving this incredible species on the verge of extinction.
"We are hopeful that kittens born around April to May will be among the first released into carefully selected locations in the Cairngorms.
"The Saving Wildcats partnership project is the last hope for this species in Scotland."
