A lion cub born in Kent less than a month ago sadly passed away in the night.

Port Lympne revealed that the cub had ventured outside during the night and 'succumbed to the elements very quickly'.

Staff have been left devastated following the cub's death, which came on the third day the county was hit by snow.

It was born on January 13 to second time parents Oudrika and Adras at the animal park in Hythe.

They welcomed three cubs, which have been helped taken care of by their older siblings, born at the animal park in 2019.

Three days later, one of the cubs died after being found unresponsive.

Now, a second has also been lost.

A statement from the park said: "During the early hours of Tuesday morning, we became aware that one of the lion cubs was not visible.

"We believe it ventured out through the bedroom door unnoticed by its mother.

"With below freezing temperatures, it would have become weak and succumbed to the elements very quickly.

"It later became clear that it had indeed passed away during the night.

"We are all incredibly upset by these events but the remaining cub appears strong and Oudrika, its mother, has taken it to the other shelter where she is protecting it.

"We expect mother and cub to return to the bedroom dens soon."

When Adras and Oudrika welcomed their first three cubs in May 2019 - named Kulinda, Khari and Binti - it was the first time that lions had been born at Port Lympne in more than 10 years.

The animal park is currently closed, as is its sister site Howletts, near Canterbury.

Big cat lovers who want to support the pride can send virtual care packages or adopt the Port Lympne lions via the reserve’s online shop.

Bosses at Port Lympne, run by the Aspinall Foundation, have also launched an urgent appeal to help it save three lions and a family of brown bears.

Two of the lions, Mojito and Timothy, were saved from Circus Wonderland where bosses at Port Lympne say they were deliberately underfed to keep them weak and small enough to use for photoshoots.

The third lion, Anthares, was confiscated from another circus where he was forced to perform and lived in a tiny and filthy trailer.

The three brown bears, Julio, Enciam and Neu, and their three young cubs are living at an adventure park in Andorra, which is soon closing its zoo.

But the charity fears it may be forced to abandon its plans to re-home the creatures if it fails to raise its £250,000 target.

To donate, click here.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here

Read more: All the latest news from Hythe