An animal sanctuary providing a home to more than 300 creatures - from iguanas to raccoon - is asking for donations to help keep afloat during the pandemic.

Family-run Creepy Claws in Teynham, near Sittingbourne, has been rescuing and looking after animals for around eight years.

Totally self-funded and not-for-profit, the centre takes in injured wildlife and pets people cannot manage and gives them a home for life.

Owners, Michael and Sarah Tyler, put on displays and talks in schools and at events, with the Lower Road sanctuary and farm also normally open to visitors.

In addition, Creepy Claws runs the Animal Ark at Dreamland in Margate during school holidays, where children can meet rabbits, reptiles and more.

However, the lockdown has dried up all revenue for the time being, leaving the family and their animals in a desperate situation.

Mr and Mrs Tyler have been forced to apply for Universal Credit, but this won't pay out until mid-May. They are eligible for the Government self-employed grant, but again, it will be several months until the funding is deposited.

So they have set up a GoFundMe page, asking people to donate whatever they can to help make sure the animals are kept safe and well.

You can also adopt an animal for £20 a year, for which you'll get photos of your new pal plus the option to visit the sanctuary to meet them later on.

The family need around £5,000, and have raised almost £1,000 so far.

Mr Tyler says if people donate more than is required, he will make sure to pass on funding to other small animal charities in the area.

The 46-year-old said: "We started off eight years ago with creepy crawlies but now we have lots of different animals here: skunks, black foxes, rodents, a six-foot iguana, bull frogs, owls, horses, goats... we even have three emus in the garden at the moment. We got four new-born lambs in six weeks ago and have been bottle feeding them every day."

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Creepy Claws normally has volunteers helping out but this had to stop due to social distancing rules. So the couple's four children have been mucking in and doing all they can to keep the sanctuary running smoothly.

Mr Tyler said: "We have a morning routine and a rota on the wall for everyone."

He added: "We've been getting a few more people calling asking for help than usual and we are struggling but have not turned anyone down.

"Since Covid-19, our income has gone down to zero. We are doing okay at the moment but it's the future we are worried about."

If you can help, visit the GoFundMe page here, or to adopt an animal, visit the centre's Facebook page here.

Last week, Fenn Bell Inn zoo in Hoo thanked the public after receiving more than £24,000 donations to help support their animals through the coronavirus crisis.

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne