A pair of "magnificent" lynx have been welcomed to their new home at a zoo.

The handsome brothers arrive at Drusillas Zoo Park near Alfriston on May 24 and are settling into their new home ahead of the half term break. 

The duo are both two years old and were born at Wild Place Project in Bristol.

They were transferred to Drusillas after a year of planning, including the £250,000 construction project of a custom-built, naturalistic enclosure designed to recreate their native European woodland habitat.

The brothers have been pouncing around exploring their new home since their arrival, which includes a "gorgeous" waterfall feature which the cats have already been seen playing in.

“It’s always huge news welcoming a new species to the park, and our team are so excited to work with Europe’s largest wild cat, and for Drusillas to be home to a European carnivore," said head keeper, Gemma Romanis.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible species, for many of our team for the first time, and I can’t wait to start building up a relationship with the boys, introduce some training, and see them flourish here at the park.

“We have been working really hard over the last nine months to ensure everything is perfect for them, from enclosure design to diet plans, enrichment and training programmes, and also chatting at length with their previous keepers and the wider zoo community to really learn how we can guarantee their needs are met.”

The grand reveal to visitors is set for this May half term and the enclosure has been barriered off since their arrival to offer the lynx an undisturbed settling in period under the careful watch of the zoo’s team of keepers.

Keepers are delighted to have observed the pair climbing and investigating their new home.

The Eurasian lynx is the third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and the wolf, and the largest of the four lynx species.

Previously native to Britain, the Eurasian lynx became extinct in the UK around 1,300 years ago due to hunting and habitat loss.