A zoo has welcomed a pair of rare and “remarkable” mustelids for the first time.

Drusillas Zoo Park, near Alfriston, recently became home to a pair of yellow-throated martens, two of just four in the country.  

From the mammal group mustelids, made up of mink, ferret and badger among others, the martens are some of the most colourful animals in their family.

Their fur ranges from dark-brown to yellow-brown, and they have a stunning bright yellow throat, hence the name.

Drusilla’s marten pair, Niko and Sasha, are "settling in very well" according to the zoo’s keeper team.

The cute couple have been making themselves at home in their new enclosure, showing off how smart they are by solving food puzzles and exploring various enrichment toys on offer as well as scoffing their favourite gourmet snack, frogs' legs.

Zoo animal manager Mark Kenward said: "Being able to work with this incredible species is a career high from my point of view. These are two of just four in the whole of the UK. Many zookeepers will never have this chance, so it's a real pinch me moment to be part of the team looking after Niko and Sasha.”

"Both of the martens are very interactive with keepers and have very individual personalities," added Mark. 

" Sasha is very confident and playful with her food, you can spot her throwing things around and having a whale of a time. Niko is a lot more laid back and quite reserved, but they both really enjoy the enrichment that we give and are good puzzle solvers. We love coming up with activities to keep them busy."

In the wild, yellow-throated martens live throughout southern and eastern Asia, mostly found in forests, but also on mountains and in swamps.

They mainly feed on small mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, insects, and fruit. Niko and Sasha are quite the "foodies" and enjoy nothing more than chowing down on their favourite frogs' legs, fresh fruits, sweet potato, and pine nuts.