A Pembrokeshire tourist attraction is celebrating after being accepted into membership of one of the world's most prestigious professional organisations.

Folly Farm - whose zoo recently welcomed Wales' first giraffes - has gained accreditation as a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

EAZA has 319 members in 35 countries, and is the largest association of its kind in the world.

The membership will boost Folly Farm's involvement in European-wide breeding and conservation programmes and increase the zoo's contacts across the continent. 

"This is a wonderful achievement for the park," said zoo manager Tim Morphew.

"It marks the climax of two years of hard work by all of the team here at Folly Farm."

 The membership - which has just been formally approved by the EAZA council - followed a detailed report on Folly Farm drawn up by the association's inspection team.

Said Tim: "They spent two days going through all of our zoo paperwork and inspecting the animals and their enclosures. They are looking for high standards in all aspects of our work, including breeding programme participation, animal husbandry and staff quality, so we are very pleased to make the grade."

Added Folly Farm's managing director, Chris Ebsworth: "We are very proud to achieve the EAZA accreditation, which will allow us to extend our reach across Europe. We look forward to many new and exciting opportunities in the near future."