A zebra has died following a confrontation with a rhino at Colchester Zoo in Essex yesterday afternoon, in an incident witnessed by visitors including children.

The tragic event occurred around 2pm on Friday at one of Britain's most popular zoos, which welcomes one million visitors annually.

Staff at the Essex facility, which ranks as England's third most visited zoo, said they were "devastated" by the rare incident.

The incident took place in the zoo's Kingdom of the Wild area, which houses a mixed African species enclosure where zebras, rhinos, ostriches and giraffes typically coexist peacefully.

Visitors were asked to evacuate the area following the confrontation between the male zebra and rhino

Visitors were asked to evacuate the area following the confrontation between the male zebra and rhino.

The zoo immediately directed resources to ensure the wellbeing of other animals in the habitat.

Staff members were praised by witnesses for their professional handling of the situation during the emergency evacuation.

One visitor who was at the zoo posted on Facebook: "We were at the zoo today. Literally just seen the rhinos and zebras chasing as we headed inside."

Another visitor reported observing concerning behaviour shortly before the incident: "There was one particular rhino that wouldn't leave an ostrich alone and I thought he looked annoyed at the time!"

"I was there and witnessed it. Awful to watch I'm very upset," wrote a third visitor who saw the confrontation unfold.

A statement from Colchester Zoo said: "At approximately 2pm today there was an incident in our mixed species African habitat between a rhino and our male zebra and sadly the zebra has died."

The zoo added: "These sorts of incidents are extremely rare and we will continue to monitor the situation over the next few days."

The Kingdom of the Wild area features both indoor and outdoor zones where various African species interact

The Kingdom of the Wild area, opened in 2001, features both indoor and outdoor zones where various African species interact as they would in their natural habitat.

The Kingdom of the Wild area allows visitors to observe reticulated giraffes, maneless zebra, white rhino, ostrich, crowned crane and greater kudu in their savannah environment.

The indoor section also houses pygmy hippo, reptiles, birds, and fish species, with a viewing balcony overlooking the outdoor paddock.

Colchester Zoo, which opened in 1963, has maintained rhinos as part of its collection since 1972.