Storm Eunice damages Africa Alive's lion enclosure

A lion enclosure at a zoo has been damaged by Storm Eunice.

Africa Alive in Kessingland, Suffolk, said trees felled by the high winds during Friday's storm brought down fencing around its lion enclosure.

It said it would be closed over the weekend and on Monday.

The zoo said the animals were not in the enclosure at the time of the damage and had been confined to internal housing due to the weather.

Graeme Williamson, head of living collections at Zoological Society of East Anglia, the charity that runs the zoo, said: "Our three male lions Zero, Tor and Jabu, and our lionesses Mo, Sarabi and Kaya have been safe in their internal housing throughout the storm.

"Despite lions living quite harmoniously in large prides, being confined in close quarters can obviously create tensions within the group.

"Our lions' health and welfare is our paramount concern, and our dedicated keepers will go above and beyond to care for them and monitor their behaviours until their enclosure can be fixed."

Claudia Roberts, chief executive of Zoological Society of East Anglia, said the damage would be assessed over the weekend and on Monday.

She said Banham Zoo in Norfolk, Africa Alive's sister zoo, had suffered relatively minor damage in comparison and was expected to reopen on Sunday.

She said: "We recognise this is a huge disappointment to families who had booked to visit over half-term and we are very grateful for people's understanding as we assess and repair the damage."

She added that anyone who had booked tickets would be able to use them within the next six months after the zoos reopen.

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