MARWELL Zoo, one of the south's top tourist attractions, has been rocked by the shock departure of its director Mark Edgerley.

Mr Edgerley left the zoo in November although he had not worked there since late September, the Daily Echo has learned.

The zoo has declined to discuss the issue, but yesterday released a statement which said: "Mark Edgerley has, by mutual agreement with the Trustees, now left his employment with the Trust.

"The chairman, Sir James Weatherall, and trustees take this opportunity of thanking Mark for his involvement with and contribution to Marwell over many years as a volunteer, non-executive director and, in the last three years, in his position of chief executive, and wish him well in his future endeavours.

"A replacement will be sought as soon as possible. In the interim, Lynne Stafford is acting director."

A friend of Mr Edgerley, who asked not to be named, said: "He feels betrayed. The trustees did not recognise his many successes.

"Mark is upset and disappointed not to be able to complete his ideas. It came as a total surprise."

The zoo, near Winchester, is now seeking its fourth boss since 1998 and has employed headhunters to find a replacement. The founder director John Knowles retired in 1998 and was replaced by Miranda Stevenson, who left also by "mutual agreement" in 2000.

The Daily Echo understands that the board of trustees, on which Mr Knowles still sits, had become unhappy about the direction in which Mr Edgerley was taking the zoo.

In particular they disagreed with his stance over reintroducing animals back into the wild. The zoo has a reputation for resettling animals such as Przewalski's horse in Mongolia.

Mr Edgerley is believed to have been less enthusiastic about some of the programmes and questioned the results.

Mr Edgerley, of Northlands Road, Romsey, declined to discuss his departure, only saying: "What I wanted to do to the zoo, taking it forward, was not in line with what the trustees wanted."

He steered the zoo through its closure during the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic of 2001. He had also overseen the continuing improvement of the enclosures, the most recent being that of the Amur Leopard.

The zoo employs some 100 staff, has an annual turnover of more than £4.5m and attracts 400,000 a year. The Daily Echo understands that Mr Edgerley has, like Ms Stevenson, received a five-figure financial settlement.