A big cat keeper from Bexleyheath has honoured a tiger he worked with from birth in a series of children's novels.

Martin Hill, who has been working with lions, tigers and other big cats for 20 years, works at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent.

His new novel, Indy Meets the Lions, takes inspiration from a young tiger called Indy who Martin worked with.

Indy met two lions and was raised with them, in a story Martin says "describes the value of friendships even between those who seem so different from each other."

Describing his relationship with Indy, Martin said she was "one of the most loving and affectionate tigers I had the honour and pleasure to form a relationship with."

He added: "In an ideal world I would prefer all the cats to live in the wild but we do not live in an ideal world. I will therefore continue to look after them in captivity."

When Indy passed away in 2012, Martin recalls how he hugged and kissed her goodbye.

"The tears were unstoppable," he said.

After her death, Martin vowed to keep all the notes he had made about Indy throughout her life and turn them into a book, so he can share her story with children around the world.

Indy Meets the Lions is the third in the series of novels about Indy's life, after stories about her visits to sick children in hospital as a cub.

Recalling a trip to a ward for the terminally ill at Great Ormond Street Hospital with Indy, Martin said: "They were expecting to see a rabbit. You should have seen their faces.

"They lit up, it was so worth it."

Martin hopes the book will raise awareness about conservation, with 50 cats at the Big Cat Sanctuary being raised in captivity as part of a breeding programme.

It is available from Amazon and Waterstones for £6.99.