Marwell Zoo break-in pair sentenced after giraffe harassed

A giraffe at the zoo was hit on the neck by a thrown object (stock image)

Two men have been sentenced after a break-in at a zoo, in which a giraffe was hit by a bottle and distress was caused to a tiger and penguins.

Police were called to Marwell Zoo, in Hampshire, in February 2021 after video footage of the event was seen on social media.

Bradley Green, 24, was ordered to pay £750 and carry out unpaid work for animal cruelty and criminal damage.

Nathan Daniels, 21, was given the same sentence for criminal damage.

'Leg gashes'

The zoo's two perimeter fences were cut to gain entry on the night of 15 February, Winchester Crown Court heard.

A snapchat video showed the giraffe being hit on the neck by a bottle thrown by Green.

Ellie Fargin, prosecuting, said a giraffe was later found with two gashes to its leg which were probably caused by kicking a door in distress.

A plastic disinfectant bottle, stones and a stick were also found in a tiger enclosure and the animal was showing signs of stress, she said.

The zoo's penguins also showed anxiety symptoms the next morning and their pool filter had been turned off, she added.

Ms Fargin said: "[The defendants'] intention seemed to be that they wanted to gain the attention of the animals, to get close to them."

Daniels, of Alexander Grove, Fareham, pleaded guilty to damaging the penguin enclosure and the zoo's perimeter fence, while Green, of Salterns Estate, Fareham, admitted damaging the giraffe enclosure.

'Public outrage'

James Riley, defending Green, said he was "at his core an animal lover" who had not deliberately attempted to cause suffering.

Graham Gilbert, on behalf of Daniels, said his client was also of previous good character.

Judge Richard Parkes KC said the pair had acted with "extreme stupidity and thoughtlessness", causing a "great deal of public outrage".

He ordered them to each pay £750 in compensation to the zoo and to do 120 hours unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order.

In a statement, Marwell Zoo thanked the judge for "recognising the severity of what happened and the impact it had on our animals".

It added: "It is deeply saddening to think that there are still people within our communities who do not understand the messages we work so hard to promote."