Farm hand-rears newborn lamb rejected by mother

A farm in Surrey is hand-rearing a newborn lamb after he was rejected by his mother shortly after birth.

Bean, born at Godstone Farm on 17 February, was the smallest in his litter and needed immediate round-the-clock care to survive.

He has been hand-reared by Richard Ide, livestock manager, and has been kept warm by a homemade knitted jumper made by one of the other managers' mothers.

"He's through the harder stages, so he's doing absolutely fine now," Ide said.

Bean is one of the 72 lambs expected to be born at the farm this spring.

Now thriving and weighing 3kg, Bean has become something of a celebrity among visitors and staff alike, amassing thousands of likes, shares and comments on the farm's social media.

"He's an absolute firm favourite," said Nicola Henderson, CEO at the farm.

"Cute animals are always a good reason to visit the farm, but this one's a real cutie."

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.