MARWELL Zoo is mourning the death of two of its animals - one of which was born less than a month ago.

The attraction has confirmed that one of its cheetahs, Jabal, and its youngest scimitar-horned oryx calf, Belle, have both passed away.

More than 220 people have taken to social media following the "heartbreaking" news.

Jabal, who was born at Landau Zoo in Germany, on October 24 2012, arrived at Marwell in 2014 with his brother Tano.

Carrie Arnold, animal team leader for carnivores at the zoo, said the seven-year-old cheetah had been receiving veterinary treatment for the past month for kidney failure.

She added: "Despite our best efforts he was still losing weight and showed no sign of improvement and so we made the difficult decision to humanely euthanase him.

“His brother Tano will still be with us and we will continue to ensure his welfare is our top priority.”

Belle, who was born at Marwell on October 27, died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Scimitar-horned oryx are among the most endangered antelopes in the world. They are officially classed as "extinct in the wild" on a list of threatened species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Post-mortem tests will be carried out to establish the cause of Belle's death.

A Marwell spokesperson said: "Since the announcement was made, hundreds of people have been offering their condolences and support to the wildlife conservation charity which owns and operates Marwell Zoo."

One of the people who took to social media said: "Very sad to lose such beautiful animals. You must be very attached to these amazing creatures."

Another posted: "I got to see Jabal not so long ago and can imagine how heartbroken his keepers must be."