Two men have avoided prison after breaking into a zoo and injuring a giraffe before posting a video about it on Snapchat.
The pair threw a bucket and bottle of disinfectant into the enclosure, with the bottle hitting the giraffe on the neck. One of the giraffes suffered an injury to its leg with two long gashes after knocking against the doors of its enclosure in distress.
Items were also found in the tiger, penguin and cheetah enclosures, with the pair having thrown them causing distress to the animals.
Bradley Green and Nathan Daniels, both from Fareham, Hampshire, admitted breaking into Marwell Zoo, Hampshire, on February 15 2021, when the country was locked down because of Covid.
A police helicopter and armed officers were called out after someone spotted a video posted by the pair on the social media app Snapchat and called 999.
Ellie Fargin, barrister for the prosecution, told the court that a plastic disinfectant bottle, sticks and stones were found in the tiger enclosure, while a bucket and another bottle of disinfectant were discovered in the giraffe enclosure.
She said: “There is concern they had been thrown into the enclosure to cause distress as the tiger was behaving in a manner consistent with distress.”
A lifebuoy ring was found in the pool of the penguin enclosure and Ms Fargin told the court the animals had “displayed behaviour consistent with anxiety and distress from being disturbed”.
The injured giraffe, called Ursula, had knocked itself against the door of its enclosure, which was later found with giraffe hair on it.
“The damage must have been caused by the giraffe or giraffes hitting it with force and that would have been done if they were in distress,” Ms Fargin said.
Items were also found in the cheetah enclosure.
Appearing at Winchester Crown Court, the men were sentenced by judge Richard Parkes KC to a 12-month community order and must complete 120 hours of unpaid work. They were also ordered to each pay £750 compensation to the zoo.
Judge Parkes said: “It [the attack] caused a great deal of public outrage at your behaviour because people are rightly sensitive at behaviour causing damage to a zoo and to animals.
“You acted in a deplorable fashion for which you must be punished. Public outrage would be such that many members of the public would like to see you in prison for this behaviour.”
Daniel Reilly, defending Green, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, said his client has “deep regret and remorse” for his actions and threw the bottle at the giraffe “to get its attention”.
He said Green faced a “backlash” on social media following the incident and received death threats.
Mr Reilly added: “He knows that what he did is something that is significantly serious and something he is shamed by, particularly because he is, at his very core, an animal lover.”
Graham Gilbert, defending Daniels, said his client has lost his job working for a contractor for Marwell Zoo and told the court: “The behaviour showed a marked lack of maturity on his behalf.”
