Smile! Park rangers at Port Lympne Reserve have been snapping some secret animal encounters after the gates have closed to the public.

The keepers and park rangers at the Hythe reserve were challenged to capture the animals on smartphones to show the cameras’ capabilities.

The results are some entertaining moments and close encounters with the creatures they have strong bonds with.

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Among the characters caught in close-up were members of the largest breeding herd of black rhinos in the UK, giraffes and Ambam, a silverback gorilla who has more than 1.5m views on YouTube, and likes to stand on two feet.

These unmissable moments were recorded on the Xperia X Sony Mobile, to show its features, including predictive autofocus, which makes it easier to capture moving objects.
Before being let loose with the cameras, the rangers had a masterclass with renowned wildlife photographer Neil Aldridge – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2014.

Diana Hernandez Gonzalez from Sony Mobile said: “What better way to put the camera to the test than work with the most unpredictable and spontaneous things that we love to photograph – animals!”
For details go here.

You can snap the animals at Port Lympne yourself on a photography course run by the reserve or at its sister site, Howletts Wild Animal Park.

Join a course with seven others for £155 each, which includes a full day of group tuition with a professional photographer or there are one to one sessions.

They run until Sunday, September 25. For details visit aspinallfoundation.org or call 0844 842 4647.

Here's Neil Aldridge helping the keepers capture the right images.