London Zoo hunting for a mate for “gorgeously ugly” fish

Bosses at London Zoo are on the lookout for an extremely rare fish to provide a mate for one of the creatures they already have in their possession.

The Mangarahara cichlid is now extinct in the wild, although there are three in captivity. However, these are all male, which has led to the zoo launching a search for a fit female.

If one can be found, the London attraction aims to begin a conservation programme that could help the species to be saved and thrive once more.

London Zoo's aquarium curator Brian Zimmerman told BBC News: "They are not a particularly beautiful fish – they are gorgeously ugly, they are unusual. They are more a connoisseur's type of fish."

One of the problems wildlife enthusiasts face is that males are known to kill females, which sadly occurred when Berlin Zoo aimed to start a breeding programme with the two it currently has.