An endangered leopard well-known to visitors at a Kent animal park has died aged 18.

Howletts Wild Animal Park has described Saian as a “wonderful character”, who will be missed by his keepers.

The north Chinese leopard lived at a Thoiry Zoo in France before his arrival at the Canterbury site in 2008.

A few months later he was joined by female leopard Tingting, and the pair had a cub called Baiya, who remains at Howletts.

Tingting passed away aged 19 in December.

Announcing Saian’s death, a park spokesperson said: "He was a wonderful, regal character whose calm demeanour will be sorely missed by the keepers and visitors who knew him best.

"He leaves behind a 14-year-old son named Baiya, with who he enjoyed a very close bond.

"The keepers will, of course, be keeping a close eye on Baiya as we all adjust to life without Saian.

"If you have any photos of Saian or our north Chinese leopard family, we would love to see them."

Saian’s beed is mainly found in temperate forests in northern China.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as endangered due to threats caused by poaching for the fur trade and for supposed traditional medicine.

They have relatively short legs, big heads and are capable of reaching speeds of up to 36mph.

Their coats are also longer than that of most other big cats due to their native habitat being very cold.