An orangutan that recently moved to an enclosure in Kent has "died well before his time" from a digestive infection.

Dayak arrived at Wingham Wildlife Park in Canterbury with his half-brother, Belayan, towards the end of last year.

But at the beginning of March, the 10-year-old great ape died after battling the illness for a number of weeks.

Markus Wilder at Wingham Wildlife Park said: "He hadn't been with us for all that long, so it's possible he came to us with the infection already.

"We had two of the top great ape vets in Europe helping us with it, but it was just a really horrible infection.

"He was very young; they usually get to at least four times that age. He died well before his time, sadly."

Mr Wilder says the young primate was under intensive care for the last two weeks of his life.

Dayak and his brother's arrival took the tally of Bornean organgutans at Wingham, which is the only park in Kent to have the creatures, up to four.

"Because of how strong the personalities of great apes are, the keepers are really attached to them," Mr Wilder added.

"Especially for the carers who were caring for Dayak during that time, it was very difficult.

"He was a lovely animal."

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury