Longleat safari park announces death of 'much loved' Buster the sea lion

Longleat has announced the death of one of its most popular animals at the age of 26.

Buster the sea lion was described as a "larger than life" character who could be seen and heard across the Wiltshire safari park.

The news was posted on Longleat's Facebook page and included one of the keepers' favourite videos of Buster.

It shows him swimming towards the camera before jumping out of the water onto the rocks. It also included a touching tribute to the 'much loved' sea lion.

It read: "We are sorry to announce that Buster, our much loved male sea lion, has passed away at the grand old age of 26.

"Buster was a larger than life character to his team of keepers and the millions of visitors who got to see and, of course, hear him from across the estate.

"Over the years Buster has been part of our growing colony of sea lions on Half Mile Pond and will be missed by all."

Since the post was published, it has received more than 1,200 comments, with many sharing happy memories of visiting the park and seeing Buster.

One person commented: "So sorry. I always loved watching Buster from the boats. Swim free over Rainbow Bridge Buster. Condolences to his keepers"

Longleat's sea lions were first introduced into Half Mile Lake in the 1970s and are believed to be the only colony of California sea lions anywhere in the world to live in freshwater.