THEY drew in hundreds of thousands of people and brought a splash of colour to Southampton this summer.

But tonight marks the end of the Marwell's Zany Zebra event as an auction is staged to raise money for conservation projects to protect the Grevy's Zebra - the breed which inspired the trial this year.

The auction at the Ageas Bowl beginning at 7pm is expected to raise thousands for the charity as businesses, organisations and individuals bid on their favourite sculpture to take home with them.

Head of conservation biology at Marwell Zoo, Philip Riordan explained how the money raised will help preserve the habitat of the endangered Grevy's Zebra which is native to northern Kenya and parts of Ethiopia.

There are only 2,500 to 3000 of the species left and they could be extinct unless dramatic action is taken, he said that the money will help them work with communities in the area.

Mr Riordan said: "There are two strands one is to bring in money into the work that is short of cash and we are working with species and communities in poor areas that have huge logistical challenges.

"We want to find out about the basics of these animals and where they live and the communities that live there."

He said the work will look at how the communities can build sustainable systems to prevent overgrazing that has caused major issues for the species.

The appeal of the zebras was still evident this weekend as a 'goodbye event' also staged at the Ageas Bowl saw thousands of people visit the venue to see the sculptures for the last time.

All the zebras were on display in one huge dazzle at Hampshire's cricket ground for the public to see before they are sold off tonight.

Saturday saw visitors queuing to get into the event, underlining the appeal of the Zany Zebra trail.