A 41-year-old mammal at a wildlife park has been written into the history books as a world record holder.

Kingut, a Malayan tapir who lives at Port Lympne, near Hythe, has been officially recognised as the oldest of his kind in captivity, by Guinness World Records.

The animal recently celebrated his 41st birthday.

Keepers say they were delighted when the record team visited the site to present Kingut with his official certificate.

Animal director Simon Jeffery said: "Kingut is a great character.

"He’s a friendly and people-oriented tapir and loves getting attention from the keepers here.

"He’s also a firm favourite with our visitors and we are absolutely thrilled that he has been recognised as officially amazing."

Kingut was born on January 29 1978 at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta and was transferred to Port Lympne from sister park, Howletts, near Canterbury, in 2008.

Malayan tapirs are the largest of the five species of tapir, as well as the only species of tapir found in Asia.

They are recognisable by their distinctive black and white markings, which act as camouflage in the rainforests.

In the wild, Malayan tapirs are classified as endangered.

Watch Kingut last year on his 40th birthday

Destruction of their natural habitat to make way for palm oil plantations, alongside hunting, has had a major effect on their numbers.

Adam Millward, senior editor at Guinness World Records, said: "It’s always a pleasure to meet our animal record holders and Kingut was no exception.

"The fact that he has already surpassed the average lifespan of Malayan tapirs by more than a decade is hugely impressive by itself, but what amazed me even more is just how sprightly and engaged he still is – particularly when food is part of the equation!

"It was also touching to see how loved Kingut is by the staff at Port Lympne, a park that prides itself on its spacious, naturalistic enclosures – two factors that I’m sure must have contributed to his record-breaking longevity."

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