Marwell Zoo animals get boost from Southampton tree vandals

Marwell Zoo staff collected and stripped the felled hornbeam tree of its foliage, which will provide food for the giraffes and okapi

An act of vandalism has inadvertently been a boost for animals at a Hampshire zoo that is closed during lockdown.

It came in the shape of a mature hornbeam tree that was illegally felled at Southampton's Hollybrook Cemetery.

Keepers at Marwell Zoo have stripped the tree's foliage, which will be fed to animals including okapi and giraffes, helping reduce its mounting costs without revenue from customers.

Southampton City Council said it was a "positive end to a sad event".

The authority said the hornbeam was unlawfully cut down some time during the weekend of 16-17 May and condemned it as a "mindless act". No graves were damaged.

Marwell's Rothschild Giraffes are among the animals who will be fed the twigs and foliage from the tree

Staff at the zoo, which is run by a charity, approached the council after seeing social media posts about the felling.

They have now filled 21 barrels of stripped twigs and foliage, known as browse, which the zoo's ruminant species that also include bongo, and pygmy hippo would eat naturally in the wild.

Zookeeper Zoe Newnham said good quality browse was "very hard to come by".

"I immediately thought how the tree could really help out our animals during these difficult times when the zoo is receiving no income from guests," she said

"This tree will allow us to provide animals a natural diet throughout the winter when there are few fresh leaves around."

The zoo remains closed because of the coronavirus pandemic - a crowdfunding appeal to help cover its costs has so far raised more than £26,000.

The city council plans to replace the felled tree with two suitable alternatives, during the planting season in October.

The mature tree is believed to have been felled sometime over the weekend of 16-17 May