Stolen Southampton zebra sculpture leads art trail parade

More than 30 zebra sculptures have been paraded through a city centre ahead of the opening of a charity art trail.

Marwell Wildlife's event was led by "Gilbert" - the charity's multi-coloured zebra - which was stolen earlier this year from Bassett, Southampton, and later found in a back garden in Shirley.

An art trail of 150 zebras begins in the city on Saturday.

The sculptures will be auctioned for charity in October.

The life-sized zebras, which were paraded through Southampton on the back of trucks, will be auctioned for charity in October

Marwell Wildlife's multi-coloured zebra, known as "Gilbert", led the parade

The trail will feature 47 life-sized zebras created by professional artists, as well as 103 smaller sculptures designed and decorated by local school children.

Money raised through the auction will aid Grevy's zebra conservation in Africa, Marwell Wildlife said.

A similar sculpture trail and auction, run by the charity in 2013 and involving 36 rhinos, raised £124,700.

The sculptures feature various designs

An art trail featuring the zebras begins in Southampton on Saturday and will last for 10 weeks