Two years ago, a baby red lechwe, Sarah, was born at Port Lympne Reserve, but sadly had to be hand raised by keepers after being abandoned by her mother.

Two years on, Sarah has grown up and given birth to her own fawn - and proved to be a wonderful, nurturing mother.

For the birth, Sarah left the rest of the red lechwe herd for the privacy of a shelter with Carl Parker, head of the African Experience at the Hythe reserve, keeping a close eye on her throughout.

Both Sarah and the baby are doing well and are now spending time in the corral to keep them safe and allowing them some special time to bond.

Their company in the corral is Sarah’s best friend the Kudu, Asaan. The pair grew up together.

Animal manager Simon Jeffery said: “Sarah has been cleaning and feeding her baby unaided by us and is doing a really good job considering she was hand reared.

"The little fawn is still a little wobbly on her feet but is getting better.”

The team at Port Lympne are delighted at how well the new family are doing.

They will be leaving the corral as soon as keepers are sure they are ready to rejoin the rest of the herd.

Red lechwe are found across central and western Africa including Botswana, Zambia, DRC, Namibia and Angola and Port Lympne is home to a herd of 85.

For more details about Port Lympne, go to aspinallfoundation.org/port-lympne