A BRIERLEY Hill youngster has helped to save one of the world's rarest cats by pulling on his animal onesie for a sponsored walk at Dudley Zoo.

Daniel Higgins, aged five, raised £222, which will be spent on protecting Sumatran tigers in the wild.

He was keen to take part in the walk on Saturday (May 3) as he is a huge fan of the zoo's tiger, Daseep.

His mum, Donna, of Hawbush, said: "Daniel has done so well to raise that money, I'm really proud of him, and it's for such a great cause.

"Daniel loves Daseep and every time we come to the zoo he rushes along to the viewing panel to say hello and blows her a kiss when we leave, he's always talking about her."

The youngster was among crowds of supporters that tackled the 2km, 5km and 10km courses throughout the morning and met their favourite species along the way.

Jill Hitchman, head of media and communications, said: “We are delighted so many people turned out to help us raise funds for Sumatran tigers.

“They are now among the rarest species on the planet, numbering just 140 in the wild, and we'd like to thank everyone who came along on a bank holiday weekend to support their cause wearing a wonderful range of animal-themed onesies.

"We don't yet know how much was raised as funds are still coming in, but every penny will go towards helping these magnificent creatures in the wild through 21st Century Tiger, and via our own conservation efforts."