HANDSOME, svelte and with an eye for the ladies - there's no doubt about it, Christopher the giraffe is definitely a stud.

And that is exactly the happy task he has been brought in to perform for five lucky females at Hampshire's Marwell Zoo.

In a rare move, staff at the zoo have swapped one of its 10-strong herd for the dominant male, originally from the West Midlands Safari Park. They needed the 11-year-old to do what the only two males in the herd are still too young for.

Christopher has already proved to be a hit, catching the eye of a quartet of female groupies - Biffa, Glenda, Mary and Matilda. But no-one knows for sure whether Christopher will take to the fifth female in the herd, Grace. She has yet to have a calf.

Marwell spokesperson Gaynor Worman said: "They have not had a handsome, mature male like him around for some time. Matilda has taken a strong fancy to him. He's already been showing some interest in the females and has got to work already."

But it's not all fun and games for Christopher, who has also been brought into the park at Colden Common, near Winchester, to fulfil a rather more taxing task.

With four youngsters in the herd - Richard, Stephen, Jane and Isabella, the youngest - Christopher is going to have to be something of a role model.

Gaynor said Christopher would be expected to be the herd's father figure, explaining: "We have one of the biggest herds in the country and we have four giraffes all under the age of one, which is unique."