COLCHESTER Zoo has announced that their orangutan habitat will be closed while "essential maintenance and repairs take place" after a yellow warning storm yesterday. 

Rajang's Forest - where the organutans live - is currently closed due to storm damage to the roof and it is not yet known how long it will take for the repairs to be completed.

The Sea Lion tunnel remains open but due to the location of the damage being close the main drive way, visitors may also experience some delays by the entry and exit to the zoo. 

In a post the zoo said: "ADVANCED WARNING

"Please be aware that Rajang's Forest is currently CLOSED due to storm damage to the roof. The Sea lion tunnel remains open but our orangutan habitat will not be accessible whilst essential maintenance and repairs take place.

"It is not yet known how long the repairs will take to complete but please be assured our team are doing their utmost to reopen this area for visitors as soon as possible.

"Due to the location of damage being close to the main driveway, you may also experience some delays on entry and exit of the zoo whilst this work takes place.

"In the meantime, please rest assured that Orangutans, Tiga, Mali and Tatau are OK and are quite intrigued watching the maintenance team fix their roof!

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience and understanding."

Colchester Zoo have been contacted for comment.