A wild animal park has set a world record in welcoming its 150th baby gorilla.

Born in July 2022 at Howletts near Canterbury, Kumbi has spent the past few months forging a strong bond with his family and keepers.

Described as a confident baby, he can be found in the gorilla enclosure alongside his troop.

The Howletts Wild Animal Trust, which oversees Howletts and its sister park Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve, is the world’s most successful breeder of western lowland gorillas.

With 150 births since 1975, the trust’s breeding programme has produced more gorilla babies than every other UK zoo and wildlife park combined and is responsible for 66% of all gorillas ever born in the UK.

Lorna Wanless, head of the gorilla section at Howletts, said the team are thrilled visitors can see Kumbi.

The animal park is also celebrating success in Europe's first honey badger re-wilding project.

Tembe, a six-year-old female honey badger, has been sent from Howletts to Loskop Dam Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, as part of The Aspinall Foundation’s initiative.

She was born to parents BeeBee and Tyson at the animal park in 2016. Her parents were both owned by other European collections and were transported together out of the UK as part of the captive breeding plan, leaving Tembe alone as the only honey badger in Kent and one of only 24 in Europe.

Described to have a fiesty personality, Tembe was a firm favourite of staff and visitors but the team and their partners at The Aspinall Foundation believe that every animal, wherever possible, deserves a chance at a life in the wild.

After months of extensive preparations, Tembe was waved off in March and after an 11-hour flight, she landed safely in Johannesburg.

The reserve she now lives in in South Africa covers an area of 23,612 hectares and is home to many species including giraffe, zebra, white rhino and an estimated 15 wild honey badgers. The insects and small vertebrates which make up the bulk of a wild honey badger’s diet are abundant, and a dedicated ranger team is in place to monitor and protect the animals and their habitats, making it an ideal home for Tembe.

Damian Aspinall, chairman of The Aspinall Foundation, said: “There are 24 honey badgers in captivity in Europe, but the population is not managed for conservation benefits and the small population is not viable as an ‘insurance’ population against extinction in the wild.

“These captive animals sadly offer no benefit to ongoing conservation projects. In fact, zoos are supplementing the dwindling captive population with imported individuals who have been tragically stolen from the wild to be displayed to an unknowing public.

“Giving Tembe a chance at a new life in the lands of her ancestors is the right thing to do for both Tembe as an individual and for the species as a whole. I am proud that The Aspinall Foundation continues to lead the way in rewilding in this way, with more than 1,000 animals rescued or rewilded so far.”