Lakeland Wildlife Oasis has added an ambitious award winning member of staff to its' team.

The zoo, based in Milnthorpe, has welcomed new manager, Zak Showel, who won the Rising Star award at the 2017 'Zoo Oscars.'

Thousands of visitors are welcomed to the zoo each year, part of the attraction being the interactive and hands on elements of the experience.

The park boasts many unusual and endangered animals, and is committed to conserving animals whose very existence may be under threat.

Mr Showel said: "It is wonderful to be in the countryside after so many years in a city.

"It’s hard to move up in this industry, and really good zoo jobs are hard to come by, so I’m very privileged to be managing the Lakeland Wildlife Oasis. "I’d done everything I could within my role at Twycross so was looking to moving on, and this is my dream job."

Twycross zoo is in Atherstone in the East Midlands.

Despite being only 30, Mr Showel has been lecturing and training colleagues from across the zoo community since 2014.

He studied ecology and conservation at St Andrew’s University before starting his zoo career as an intern at Chester zoo.

The founder of the South Lakes zoo, Jo Marsden said: "We are very lucky to find someone as motivated, enthusiastic and committed as Zak.

"He is very keen to take on the challenge of managing the whole zoo, rather than just one speciality as he has before."

Mr Showell is also recognised as the top European expert for Zoological record keeping, which is vital to successful breeding programmes.

Lakeland Wildlife Oasis was founded by Dave and Jo Marsden in 1992.