The world's oldest Malayan tapir has celebrated his 40th birthday at a Kent wild animal park.

Kingut, who was born in 1978 at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, moved from Howletts in Bekesbourne to Port Lympne in 2008.

Keepers at the park helped the distinctive black and white animal celebrate his birthday yesterday.

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Animal director Simon Jeffery said: "We celebrated Kingut’s 40 birthday in style.

"Not only was he spoilt with plenty of back scratches and attention from his dedicated keepers, but we also made him a cake packed full of his favourite treats, including carrots, apples, bananas and raisins."

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