A HAMPSHIRE zoo is celebrating a population explosion.

The unusual brood of new arrivals are all being treated with tender loving care at Marwell Zoological Park near Winchester.

The latest arrivals follow the birth of Humbug the baby emu who hatched from an egg in an incubator at the zoo, as reported in the Daily Echo earlier this week.

Baby rock hyrax Max was born very weak and is being hand-reared with two-hourly feeds of just three millilitres of goats' milk.

He is thriving thanks to the devotion of keeper Gareth Chamberlain, who has hand-reared many animals during his zoo career including chimps, gemsbok and giraffes.

Curiously, the small mammal from South Africa is genetically related to the elephant, sharing features including hooves on their toes rather than claws.

The adult male hyrax also has two large incisors which correspond to the tusks of an elephant.

Visitors to the zoo at Colden Common can see two ocelot kittens in their new home, who were born to mum and dad Libby and Manduri.

The beautiful wild cats descend from the southern states of America, Central America and South America.

Numbers of the animals, who always live near trees, are declining because the cats are still hunted for their beautiful fur and as pets.

After a period of quiet bonding following her birth a fortnight ago, Sirana, a baby pygmy hippo, has been transferred to an indoor pool at Marwell together with her proud mum Wendy.

Pygmy hippos are shy forest-dwelling animals from West Africa - more terrestrial than the common hippo but still well-adapted to life in the water, spending much time submerged or semi-submerged.

Hippos are in decline in the wild following destruction of their habitat by logging.

All these species of animals can be adopted at Marwell either online at www.marwell. org.uk or by ringing 01962 777988.