Dudley Zoo announces death of Kubwa the giraffe

Kubwa was one of the biggest characters at Dudley Zoo, it said

One of the oldest male giraffes in a UK zoo collection has died.

Kubwa was put to sleep on Thursday after his health deteriorated following treatment for a long-term condition, Dudley Zoo said in a post on Facebook.

It described the 22-year-old as one of the site's "biggest characters" and one of its most adopted animals.

Born in the Netherlands, the animal joined Dudley Zoo 13 years ago from a collection in Cumbria as part of an international breeding programme.

Kubwa sired two offspring, three-year-old Kira who remains at the West Midlands site, and eight-year-old Kito, who also produced two calves and was relocated to Bristol.

The zoo said: "Everyone is understandably saddened at the loss of one of the site's biggest characters. He was also well-loved by visitors and was one of our most adopted animals, with all his current adoptees notified by post."

Many of Kubwa's 70 adopters past and present responded to the zoo's Facebook post with their condolences.

Jean Petford wrote: "So very sad to hear this, we enjoyed feeding Kubwa so much that we adopted him. He was a beautiful boy," while Kaye Powell said: "Oh I'm heartbroken by this very sad news, I loved Kubwa and was an adopter for years. Glad I saw this beautiful boy on Wednesday before he passed away."

The lifespan of a giraffe is typically between 20-25 years.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]