New playmate for lonely zoo lynx

It is hoped Kiruna will produce cubs as early as next year

A zoo owner in Devon is keeping his fingers crossed that a new arrival could help boost the park's animal numbers.

A potential new mate has been brought in from Cornwall for Dartmoor Zoo's nine-year-old Siberian lynx Kiruna.

Les is a 12-year-old male from Newquay Zoo whose previous mate is now too old to reproduce.

Dartmoor Zoo's Benjamin Mee said local zoos were increasingly working together for conservation purposes.

"This is the culmination of a long, long wait," he said.

It will be Keruna's first mate, so the two animals will be introduced to each other gradually, with Les first being let out in a small fenced off area of Keruna's enclosure.

"They'll be able to see each other through the bars and get the scents and if they get on really well, we'll open the hatch and just wait to see what happens," curator Will Walker said.