Exmoor Zoo's New Guinea singing dog Kota dies

Kota, pictured in his younger years in 2011

The last member of an ancient sub-species of dog in the UK has died in a Devon zoo.

The New Guinea singing dog, named Kota, died aged 15 at Exmoor Zoological Park in mid-March, the charity said.

New Guinea singing dogs had been shown to be the original ancestors of all domestic dogs in the Asian region, the zoo said.

The animal had been in palliative care for two months after losing his partner Belle four weeks earlier.

The dogs get their name from their unique howl, which has been likened to both the song of the humpback whale and a yodel.

The dogs are ancestors of the Australian dingo

Living wild in the remote mountains of New Guinea, they have adapted to their environment over 20,000 years, free from contact with people.

A zoo spokesperson said: "It is with great sadness we announce the death of Kota, our last New Guinea singing dog... Both Belle and Kota have been phenomenal ambassadors for the zoo and have had a huge following and will leave a large hole in many hearts."

The zoo was unable to say for certain if Belle and Kota would be replaced, but added that it was "trying to maintain a UK presence for this vitally important ancestral dog".

It said it was in talks with the Singing Dog Conservation Society in the United States, but that there were only six breeding females there at the moment, with no litters expected until the summer.

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