Firefighters have cut free a rhino stuck in a tyre for more than an hour.

Keepers at Edinburgh zoo called the Scottish fire and rescue service after failing to free the juvenile male rhino, which had its head and leg through the tyre.

Firefighters from Sighthill attended at about 5.45pm on Sunday and used e-hydraulic cutting equipment to free the stricken animal. A spokeswoman for the fire service said: “After the tyre was removed the rhino was left in the care of zookeepers and vets.

“One zookeeper said the fire service were their last hope since the zoo had been trying to free the rhino since 4pm.”

The rhino was not injured.