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Twycross Zoo has chosen to mark World Orangutan Day in a rather unusual way - by offering free entry to all redheads.

World Orangutan Day will be celebrated internationally on Friday, and aims to highlight the dangers that the red-haired apes face in the wild, including loss of habitat as forests are turned into palm oil plantations.

To raise awareness of the apes' plight, on Friday the Leicestershire zoo will be letting anyone with red hair in for free.

However, it has warned that the offer only applies to people who have naturally red hair or dyed hair, and anyone who turns up wearing a wig will be asked to pay the entry fee.

Visitors the zoo will have the chance to look in on Twyross' own four ginger orangutans - 27-year-old male Batu, 22-year-old female Maliku, their daugther Molly, 5, who was born at the zoo, and Kibriah, 39, who is Maliku's mother.

A spokesman for the zoo said: "On Friday, August 19 we will be letting anyone with red hair in for free – male, female, adult, child, strawberry blonde, auburn, fiery red, natural or dyed – it doesn’t matter.

"As long as you have red hair you can enjoy a free day out at Twycross Zoo.

"Our staff in the ticket booths will be issued with our special Twycross Zoo red headed colour scale too just to make sure."