A wildlife park has been ordered to close due to "serious" failures in animal welfare.

Black Isle Wildlife Park in the Highlands, home to zebras, goats and meerkats, has been issued with a zoo closure direction following a special inspection by Highland Council.

The inspection came after members of the public raised concerns over the treatment and care of the animals at the 50-acre site.

At a meeting of the council's Licensing Committee on Wednesday, the decision was taken to close the park and re-home the animals.

A council spokesman said: "The Highland Licensing Committee held at Highland Council’s headquarters in Inverness, has issued a zoo closure direction to the operators of the Black Isle Wildlife Park at Drumsmittal, North Kessock.

"This decision was taken following a special inspection - instigated by The Highland Council - and report by a Scottish Government appointed specialist vet.

"Earlier this year the Council carried out a number of inspections of the park in response to complaints by members of the public about issues relating to animal welfare and general maintenance of the zoo.

"An inspection carried out by a Highland Council Environmental Health Officer accompanied by a Council-appointed vet highlighted a variety of welfare and husbandry issues.

"Following the inspection, the Council acted under the Zoo Licensing Act and arranged a further special inspection to be carried out by a Scottish Government appointed specialist vet.

"Findings of the special inspection and the specialist vet’s report indicated that the zoo was found to be seriously below the standards required for operators to be in possession of a zoo licence, and was non-compliant with a large number of standard conditions of zoo practice."

The park has already been closed for a week and a half prior to the decision, but the order to close will only come into effect after a 28-day appeal period.

A sign outside the park said it was closed for "essential park maintenance".

The specialist vet who inspected the park stated in a report on the site "... that due to serious deficiencies found and non-compliance with most standard conditions, the inspection team cannot recommend that a licence continues to be in place for this zoo".

The council spokesman added: "The Highland Council will continue to work closely with the operators to ensure the animals’ welfare and to re-house the exotic animals in appropriate establishments. The operators are aware of the specialist vet’s report."

The Herald was unable to contact the owners of the park, reported to be Eric and Maureen Maxwell.

The zoo was established in 1995 and features ponds, fields and several animal enclosures and is home to a wide range of animals such as lemurs, llamas, zebras, meerkats and farm animals, including goats.

It has faced some controversy in recent years over animals escaping, including a llama that leapt out of its pen and went on the run just a few days after arriving at the park in 2013.

In 2011, a three-year-old wallaby called Joey also caused traffic chaos and got into a scrape with a flock of sheep when it strayed from the park.

All zoos in Scotland must apply to the local authority for a licence to operate.

To obtain a licence, the applicant must explain how they will help educate people about biodiversity, make the site suitable for the types of animals kept there, have a high standard of animal care, do as much as possible to stop any animals from escaping, and stop pests and vermin getting into the zoo.

All zoos are inspected regularly to ensure the conditions are being met.