Metal animals steel the show at Dudley Zoo

They are the work of artist Tim Roper who has been painstakingly crafting the pieces since January.

The works, depicting a giraffe, orangutan, tiger, sea lion and crocodile, have been placed on the approach from the car park to the Safari Shop entrance.

Mr Roper, aged 45, from Bridgnorth, became involved in the project after a boss at the zoo saw an example of his work at an event in Ironbridge.

"This was probably around three years ago now. I was exhibiting at a show and one of the pieces I had made was an 8ft sculpture of a giraffe," he said.

"I was asked if I could create something similar in life-size for the zoo. I did not hear anything for a while but then received an email out-of-the-blue asking if I could start work."

Mr Roper said he started working the five pieces at the beginning of the year and had completed them last month.

He began by drawing sketches of the animals deciding on what pose they should stand in.

"I then transferred to a computer building up a 3D model to show the zoo what the sculptures would look like when completed," he said. "Once those had been approved I was able to start working in metal."

Mr Roper said individual pieces were cut out of the metal sheets all scaled up from the computer model.

Each sculpture can be made up of hundreds of different pieces. The giraffe, which measures 15ft and orangutan for Dudley Zoo are comprised of between 200 and 300 individual pieces.

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The pieces then have to be bent so they can be fitted together and are welded. Once complete the sculptures are then galvanised.

Mr Roper said the giraffe was the biggest piece he had ever worked on.

"It is amazing to see the giraffe on its feet and in place," he said. "The whole time I was working on the giraffe it was on its side, so seeing it in position is the first time I could really get the full effect myself."

The works were installed at the zoo recently with a small mechanical digger used to put them in place.

Zoo director Derek Grove said the pieces looked amazing and would help lead visitors from the revamped car park to the zoo.

"We're thrilled with the finished sculptures which form part of the new approach to the zoo and help give an excellent first impression of our attraction," he said.

The car park improvements have involved resurfacing work and extensive landscaping and planting. It has also seen the addition of safe access paths and a new tourist trail route which links the zoo to the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Canal Trust.

The car park and sculpture project has been funded jointly by the zoo, Dudley Council, the European Regional Development Fund and a Local Enterprise Partnership.