Southampton goes wild on first weekend of Marwell Zoo's Zany Zebra trail

Individually designed sculptures - 47 life size and 103 miniatures - representing the endangered Grevy’s zebra have been placed around the city, turning it into a unique multi-coloured urban safari park.

Families scoured the city centre ticking off each sculpture on their maps and a special smartphone app, choosing their favourites along the way.

As reported by the Daily Echo, petty criminals vandalised two of the sculptures in Southampton just one day after they were installed in the city centre.

Monitoring the project’s official launch was manager Kirstie Mathieson, who said: “It’s been a great weekend for the trail.

“I was at the zoo’s Zany Zebras zone on Saturday and we were inundated with people who were enjoying the trail. The sunshine helped as well and it was great fun.

“We have been testing the app and it seems to have been working well. It works in the city and in the zoo trail and all of the sculptures and miniatures are on it.”

The app also features a step tracker - meaning you can see just how much exercise you’ve done in your quest to find all the beasts.

Jason, Rachel and Eleanor Chopra made the trip from Fareham to make a start on the trail - but admitted they wouldn’t be able to see them all in one day.

Eleanor had already fallen for the project’s poster boy Gilbert, choosing the sculpture designed by artist Laura Schillemore and found on the north side of the historic Bargate as her favourite.

Mum Rachel said: “I think it’s brilliant. We’ve only seen two so far today so we’d better get on it.”

Natalie Plank, 23, was keenly ticking off Barcode, which stands outside the civic centre in funky hand knitted leg warmers and a zip for a tail revealing his rainbow insides.

Natalie said: “I do like the idea of it and it encourages you to get active and out and about.”

Izabela Dixon, 32 from Shirley, was on the trail with husband Thorn and daughter Fraya, 3, and had stopped to admire Sam in East Park, whose coat is inspired by Kenyan masks and African textiles.

Izabela said: “I think we’ll get half today and half tomorrow. It’s beautiful weather and we rarely get to spend family time together.

"Fraya likes the pirate one down by the Mayflower theatre.

"We took her to Marwell Zoo as well and we couldn’t take her away from the real life zebras - she loved them.”

Although the zebras are constructed from fibreglass they are fragile.

One of artist Will Rosie’s four sculptures - Chris Cross - on Below Bar was knocked off its plinth and damaged, causing some of the mosaic tiling to come loose.

It was towed away to be repaired, along with Snappy - shark-inspired creation on Western Esplanade - whose fin was damaged.

The two sculptures will be repaired in the safety of the Zany Zebras unit in the Marlands shopping centre.

The trail’s aim is to raise awareness of the fight to save the Grevy’s zebra. It is estimated that in the past 30 years there has been an 83 per cent decline in the global population.

Marwell Zoo has helped create a national conservation strategy for Grevy’s zebra and is also linked to the Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee, which helps put in place conservation actions including surveys, population numbers, behaviour and interactions with other species.

The zebras will remain in place for ten weeks.