A mystery giraffe lover has donated a whopping £36,000 to a popular Westcountry zoo.

The cash given to Paignton Zoo Environmental Park will be used to design, construct, ship and install a bespoke giraffe race.

Similar in principle to a cattle crush, it consists of a galvanised steel framework to hold the animals in place safely while they are treated by staff.

According to Paignton Zoo, the south Devon donor has a particular fondness for giraffes, the world's tallest animal.

The race, which was constructed especially for the zoo by US firm Fauna Research, will be installed in March.

Lynne Parker, Paignton Zoo: "This is an extraordinary gift - we are very grateful and very excited, as it means we can provide this extremely useful facility."

Neil Bemment, director of operations at Paignton Zoo, said: "This is fantastic for us - and for the animals.

"If we need to hold an individual giraffe firmly and safely without sedation in order to examine it or inject it, we can.

"It is hard to find a good design at a reasonable price - this donation has made all the difference."

Lynne Parker, fundraising and events officer for Paignton Zoo, said: "This is an extraordinary gift - we are very grateful and very excited, as it means we can provide this extremely useful facility.

"It's nice to be able to move on from the fire in the giraffe house and to do something positive like this."

Paignton Zoo veterinary officer Ghislaine Sayers added: "This donation will make it possible to carry out minor veterinary procedures such as blood sampling, clinical examinations and foot care without resorting to risky anaesthesia.

"By training the giraffes to be relaxed within the race we can reduce the stress and the cost of all these procedures, benefiting both animal welfare and conservation."

With gift aid the donation is worth £46,080.

According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), global giraffe numbers have seen a 30 per cent decline over the past decade.

Less than 100,000 giraffes remain across Africa.