THEY may not be pretty as a picture just yet, but the hatching of two little balls of grey fluff has sparked celebrations at Cotswold Wildlife Park.

The park near Burford has made history by becoming the first zoo in the UK to breed African open-billed storks.

Although rearing the birds is notoriously difficult, two stork chicks, called Paris and Nerone, hatched in October and are growing fast.

Curator Jamie Craig said he was delighted.

He said: “It's a great achievement for the park and especially for the bird department. We’re particularly pleased, as the rearing process for this species is especially tricky.

“Enzymes need to be introduced to the food to replicate the saliva of the adult birds – sometimes the rearing room resembles a pharmacy rather than a zoo.

“Careful monitoring by the bird keepers has ensured we have successfully raised two of these fascinating birds and we hope for more triumphs next year.”

Adult African open-billed storks are slender, chocolate-brown birds, with pincer-like bills. They feed almost exclusively on snails and freshwater mussels.

The park has enjoyed a successful year breeding birds, with blue-winged kookaburras giving birth and, for the first time in 10 years, the park’s ostriches rearing young.