The Donkey Sanctuary Belfast: Watch as adorable herd explores the snow at Templepatrick sanctuary

The ongoing cold snap may be causing chaos for some, but for the resident herd at The Donkey Sanctuary Belfast, it was a rare opportunity to enjoy a winter wonderland.

Videos and images courtesy of The Donkey Sanctuary show the adorable animals exploring the snow at the centre in Templepatrick on Tuesday, before heading back inside to their cosy and warm stable.

The Belfast sanctuary supports members of the community through a range of donkey-assisted activities. These ground-based activities support the development of people's life skills and wellbeing, helping individuals to better deal with challenges in everyday life, while also promoting positive attitudes towards donkeys.

The herd were not the only animals to be spotted enjoying the wintry weather this week.

At Belfast Zoo, Gugas the silverback gorilla was caught on camera by staff gathering snow to build snowballs.

Luckily, there were no visitors for Gugas to use his snowballs on, with the zoo closed due to the weather.

A Met Office weather warning for frequent snow showers has been put place until midnight on Thursday, with counties Antrim, Tyrone and Londonderry likely to be most affected.

The national weather service said: "Snow showers are likely to continue during Wednesday night and well into Thursday. Whilst accumulations will vary due to the nature of showers, 2-5 cm of snow is expected in many places. Where showers become more organised, there is a chance some low-lying areas could see 10 cm in a few hours.”