Sealed with a kiss: Richard Lochhead puckers up

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead got up close and personal with a flippered friend during a visit to a safari park.

Sealed with a kiss: Richard Lochhead at Blair Drummong Safari Park. Picture: Mike Day

Mr Lochhead had a lesson in recycling from Poppy, one of four sea lions at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park near Stirling.

The sea lions are the stars of a show teaching visitors how to avoid littering by retrieving objects from a pool and dropping them in recycling tubs.

The park introduced new recycling facilities last year that have led to a 41 per cent reduction in its landfill waste.

Mr Lochhead, visiting the park during Recycle Week, said: “The sea lion show is a great way for kids to learn about recycling and to encourage future generations to make green choices, helping us to look after nature, wildlife and our environment.”