Bosses at a wild animal park are going ape with excitement after a two-year battle to bring a troop of chimps from America to the attraction was finally granted by a judge.

A £1 million enclosure has already been built at Wingham Wildlife Park for the seven primates which have spent their lives in a research facility in Atlanta.

Now staff say they are “over the moon” that the eagerly-awaited legal decision has been made in their favour.

Plans to bring the chimps to Kent stalled when animal welfare group Cruelty Free International challenged the export licence granted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

It claimed the chimps, which had been kept at Yerkes National Primate Research Centre, should be in a sanctuary in the USA, rather than transported to the UK as a zoo attraction. The group also feared the journey would be stressful for the animals.

But now, after a lengthy legal wrangle, during which world renowned chimp expert Jane Goodall gave the new facilities at Wingham her blessing, a judge has ruled the animals can go to their new home.

Animal curator Markus Wilder said: “We are over the moon. The decision has been a long time coming but we were always confident we could offer the chimps a wonderful home where they could happily live out their lives.

“So we are ready to welcome Agatha, Elvira, Faye, Fritz, Georgia, Lucas and Tara, and look forward to introducing them to visitors.”

But Mr Wilder says he cannot say when visitors to the park will be able to see the chimps.

He explained: “There are still procedures to go through to arrange their transportation and there will be a period of quarantine when they arrive here, so I wouldn’t want to put a time on it.”

As part of the negotiations to bring the chimps to Wingham, the park and the Yerkes National Primate Centre are making a sizeable donation to chimp conservation and welfare work in the wild.