A mum-to-be who decided to go public when giving birth gave visitors to a Pembrokeshire tourist attraction a day to remember.

The female sitatunga, a member of the antelope family, was watched by a large crowd as she delivered her first youngster at Folly Farm, Begelly, in the middle of a busy Bank Holiday Sunday afternoon.

"Sitatunga are normally very shy, so it was rather out of character that she decided to have her baby right by the fence in her paddock," said zoo manager Tim Morphew.

"We moved visitors back and put our vet on standby, and within two hours, the baby had arrived and was standing up on its wobbly little legs. 

"This is the first antelope to be born at Folly Farm, so it was a very exciting moment for us, particularly as  sitatunga are an endangered species."

The unscheduled event also made the day for the fascinated visitors who gathered to witness the birth, added Tim.

"There were around 40 people watching at any one time, and I asked them to keep things quiet for the mother and resist the temptation to cheer and clap when the baby arrived. They were all very good, although some couldn't't resist a few quiet claps as they were so thrilled," he said.

Two other new babies - twin ring-tailed lemurs - also boosted the animal population of Folly Farm that day.

The little sitatunga, who will be named when its sex is determined, is now happily following its mother round in their paddock in the Okavango Delta section of the park, alongside the bongo and lechwe members of the antelope family.