Colchester Zoo becomes home to spotted hyena whelp

Colchester Zoo's female spotted hyena Kalabi had a 30-hour labour before the whelp was born

The UK's only pair of laughing hyenas have become parents.

Although there are between 27,000 and 47,000 laughing - or spotted - hyenas in the world, the only zoo in the UK to have them is in Colchester.

Kalabi, the female hyena, had a 30-hour labour before giving birth to a single whelp.

Colchester Zoo's curator Sarah Forsyth said: "We are still unsure of the sex of the whelp but will hopefully know within the next few weeks."