WHAT possible excuse can Marwell Zoo (Echo, August 21) have to breed another giraffe to add to its overlarge stock, except as a cynical ‘crowd puller’ (they hope).

Another poor creature destined to live its whole life in an English field and a shed, artificially fed, and never to wander the vast African plains, its natural heritage. Not even the excuse that it is a rare species, although all such excuses are false unless they are sent back to their real environment .

As rare as gold-dust from zoos, where to deprive, cruelly, any animal of its heritage life merely to entertain a public which can see on TV how they live in the wild is a ‘con’ yet labelled conservation. Yes, only entertainment, unjustified, to inflict lifelong incarceration on any innocent creature, however well kept, the claim from zoo’s management, alas, to deceive the gullible from seeing the trust.

SHEILA CLAYTON, United Animal Charities, Southampton .