A gorilla who made it into the record books as the oldest Western lowland gorilla in the UK has died aged 54.

Howletts boss Damian Aspinall tweeted Mouila's death earlier today, saying: "Sad news - Mouila our oldest gorilla, 54, died last night of old age.

"I knew her my whole life. She was a sweet friend to me. I will miss her."

Mouila became a star on her 50th birthday in 2010, when she made it to the human equivalent of age 100 at the wild animal part in Bekesbourne, near Canterbury.

"I knew her my whole life. She was a sweet friend to me. I will miss her" - Damian Aspinall

She became the oldest Western lowland gorilla in the UK and one of the oldest of her kind in the world.

Keepers marked the occasion by giving her special birthday presents, wrapping boxes in gorilla-friendly paper and filling them with straw and treats.

The primate was a mum-of-eight, and her offspring have gone on to breeding programmes across the world.