A celebrity snow leopard, who starred on the big screen alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names, has celebrated his 18th birthday at a zoo in Cumbria.

The big screen cat called Pavan, known affectionately as ‘Pav’ for short, enjoyed being ‘spoilt rotten’ by his keepers at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis for his birthday on May 8.

The ‘handsome’ male snow leopard appeared in the fantasy film The Golden Compass in 2007, which was based on the novel by Phillip Pullman and starred A-listers Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman.

Pavan is one of two movie star snow leopards who shared the part of Stelmaria, the daemon of Lord Asriel, played by James Bond actor Daniel Craig. He shared the role with his brother Pavesh before moving to the Cumbrian zoo in 2011.

Since moving to the zoo in Milnthorpe, Pav has been living happily with his long-term partner Tara, who has just turned 14.

Tara joined the zoo a few months after Pav arrived and the two have been ‘inseparable’ ever since. Their keepers said: “These two are an inseparable couple - completely in love with each other.”

The pair are part of the European Breeding Programme and have three cubs together, a set of twins called Loki and Luna who were born in 2014 and a cub named Chris, born in 2018.

Today, their offspring are all grown up and have been transferred to zoos across Europe where they have given Pav and Tara both grand-children and great-grandchildren.

For his birthday, the retired animal actor was treated to a tasty meal of rabbit and a selection of boxed treats hidden around his enclosure.

Pav loved ripping up his wrapped presents and parcels, so after his birthday meal, he spent the day snoozing and relaxing, cuddling up with Tara.

A Lakeland Wildlife Oasis spokesman said: “Pavan is a snow leopard everyone instantly falls in love with. He has a kind and generally calm personality but is definitely a foody - he goes crazy for any tasty snacks. He often forgets his age, jumping around like a cub when he gets excited about new enrichment toys or to play with Tara.”

They said he loves spending his days snuggled up with Tara and his favourite food is definitely venison - he's got expensive tastes!

In the wild, the lifespan of a snow leopards is estimated to range between 15 and 18 years old, while those living in captivity can live up to 21 years or more.

The zoo also put up a lovely birthday display, including a cardboard pint of beer to symbolise his 18th birthday.