Lion cub in memory of Rhys

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The 11-year-old's friend James Rigby emailed zoo bosses after seeing the newly-born Tejas on television and thinking of Rhys.

He urged them to dedicate the cub to Rhys because his pal had the "heart of a lion".

Parents Melanie, 41, and Stephen, 44, from Croxteth Park, Liverpool, visited the zoo and officially adopted the animal. The couple were given a VIP tour of the zoo by Head of Programmes Kevin Buley and watched Tejas and the other Asiatic lions at feeding time.

Mrs Jones described James' idea as 'very touching'. He and his class mates will meet Tejas at an outing to the zoo later this month.

Rhys was shot dead by a hooded youth on a mountain bike as he walked home from football practice in Croxteth Park on August 22. Sixteen people have been arrested in connection with the killing but no-one has been charged.

A Chester Zoo spokeswoman said the name Tejas is a Sanskrit synonym for fire, light and lord of speed. She added: "We were all moved by James's email so we offered Rhys's family the chance to adopt him forever. Rhys's memory will live on in Tejas and we at the zoo are so proud they have accepted."

Over the weekend, around 25,000 purple ribbons were handed out to shoppers in Liverpool city centre as part of a campaign against gun violence.

Liverpool Unites, launched by the Liverpool Echo newspaper in the wake of Rhys's death, aims to convince the government to introduce minimum ten-year jail terms for those convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.

It is also calling for tougher gun control laws, increased resources for the Witness Protection Scheme and 1,000 more police officers for Merseyside.