Two men broke into a zoo, threw a bottle at a giraffe and filmed the ordeal before posting it on Snapchat, a court heard.

Bradley Green and Nathan Daniels, from Fareham, Hampshire, admitted to breaking into Marwell Zoo, Hampshire, when it was closed during Covid lockdown.

A police helicopter and armed police were called out when someone spotted the video and called 999.

The prosecution told Winchester Crown Court how the pair cut the zoo’s fence so they could get into the grounds on February 15, 2021. The doors of the giraffe and penguin enclosures were also damaged.

The next morning, a plastic disinfectant bottle, sticks and stones were found in the tiger enclosure, while a bucket and another bottle of disinfectant were found in the giraffe enclosure.

A life ring was found in the pool in the penguin enclosure and Ellie Fagin, prosecuting, said: ‘The penguins displayed behaviour consistent with anxiety and distress from being disturbed.’

Daniel Reilly, defending Green, said his client has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and he has ‘deep regret and remorse’ for his actions and threw the bottle at the giraffe ‘to get its attention’.

Graham Gilbert, defending Daniels, said: ‘The behaviour showed a marked lack of maturity on his behalf.’

The Two men were today branded ‘idiotic and deplorable’ by a judge (Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency)

He said Daniels lost his job working for a contractor for Marwell Zoo.

Green, 24, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and damaging the giraffe enclosure.

Daniels, 21, pleaded guilty to damaging the penguin enclosure and a fence surrounding the zoo.

The defendants were sentenced by judge Richard Parkes KC to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £750 compensation each to the zoo.

The judge told them: ‘Almost two years ago, you two together had the idiotic idea of driving to Marwell Zoo during lockdown, when Marwell Zoo was closed to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘You, Green, broke a door at the rear of the giraffe house. You threw the bucket and bottle of disinfectant into the enclosure and you threw something at the giraffe which we see from the video that you took.

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‘It struck the giraffe on the neck. One of the giraffes had an injury to its leg, with two long gashes, which was discovered the next morning.

‘It happened from the giraffe being distressed, knocking itself against the door.’

He added: ‘It 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.’

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A police helicopter and armed police were called out when someone spotted the video and called 999.