HIGHLAND polar bears Walker and Arktos received an icy treat for their birthday as they prepare to welcome a mate in the spring.

The bears at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie in the Highlands were fed frozen "cakes" of sardines, carrots and nuts as they celebrated turning six and seven respectively.

Keepers said the snowy weather provided an extra present for the male bears, who rolled and slid around together in their enclosure as the temperature hovered around zero.

They pounced on the cakes and scratched at them with their large paws, as wild polar bears do when breaking through the ice to get to seals in their native Arctic habitat.

The bears' ages means that next year they will be introduced to a female polar bear with the hope of producing a cub at the visitor attraction.

Work is under way on a new enclosure at the opposite end of the park in preparation for her arrival.