Charity money has been stolen from a South East Cornwall wildlife park in what its owners have described as a 'despicable' act. Porfell Wildlife Park, near Liskeard, collects money for two charities that benefit African communities in lengths of piping that run along walls of the park. Donations are deposited in the piping, where the money builds up in the pipe. The money is collected by staff regularly.

Send a Cow and Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage both benefit from generous donations from visitors to the park. The pipes were discovered damaged and the money taken and now the owners of the park, Joy and John Palmer, are appealing for information.

Joy said: 'I just think it is despicable to do something like that when we are collecting money for the poor people in Africa and to save baby elephants there. It just makes you mad.'