Wildlife park staff have been left in shock following the sudden death of a popular giraffe.

Evan - one of the herd at Wingham Wildlife Park near Canterbury - suffered a heart attack brought on by an acute infection.

Staff say they are devastated at his unexpected death this morning and admit they did not see it coming.

"Sadly, he very unexpectedly passed away this morning from a heart attack following an acute infection," the park said in a statement on its Facebook page.

"If you came to the park over the past couple of days you would have seen Evan with the rest of the herd looking his usual self and it was only yesterday that he was a little off colour.

"This really has come as a massive shock to us and all of our staff as none of us saw this coming.

"He hasn't been with us very long but he is loved by us all and will be sorely missed."

The herd of giraffes arrived at Wingham in March.

They live in the newly-built area, next to the orangutans, and are popular with visitors.

The park, which only recently reopened after lockdown, is home to many wild animals, including Kent's only penguins, moon bears and chimpanzees.

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