A rare snow leopard cub born at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden has been left nameless.

But, this is all set to change as a competition is now under way to name the little cub. Anyone can vote online for their favourite of the three shortlisted names.

The baby snow leopard has been the centre of attention

Sayan, Chango or Shen have made the shortlist and have their own unique meaning and link back to the heritage of the snow leopard species in Central and Southern Asia.

Sayan is a mountain range in Mongolia which is home to snow leopards, Chango is a village in India where the Snow Leopard Trust operate, and finally Shen is the Tibeten name for the species.

Each vote costs £5 with the money going straight back into the Big Cat Sanctuary to care for the cub and parent Laila and Yarko - and 25% will go to support the Snow Leopard Trust’s conservation programmes.

James Hanaway from the Big Cat Sanctuary said: "One of the great things about having snow leopards here is that they're not only part of our breeding programme here, but they're also ambassadors for their wild cousins."

He continued: "It's really important for us as a charity to be able to donate to the Snow Leopard Trust year-on-year and give them sustainable income that will help them do their incredible work out there in the Himalayas."

Every entry from the winning name will then be entered into a draw to win an exciting prize.

The rewards up for grabs include a VIP visit to the sanctuary and a personal meeting with the cub, the chance to put the name plaque up and a limited edition, framed Snow leopard print by wildlife photographer Ismail Shariff.

It may be a little while until the public can see the cub, as he is currently staying indoors with mum Laila and will only take his first steps outside after receiving all of the relevant vaccinations.

Briony Smith is involved in caring for the cub and said at the moment he is still a little shy around the keepers.

She said: "He is a little bit reserved when we go in there and when we visit him, but that will build up and he'll gradually become very comfortable with us which will be lovely and very important for his healthcare going forward.

"What you can really see on the cameras when he is with mum is that he's just got so much personality.

"He's running around, he's very active now, he's definitely testing her patience a little bit."

So what name will it be? The competition remains open on the Big Cat Sanctuary website so you can have your say and enter into the prize draw by clicking here.

Vote for your favourite name

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford