AN animal rights campaigner said her protest outside Colchester Zoo prompted positive responses.

Kala Dowsett, 49, led a demonstration outside the zoo on Saturday in the wake of the death of three escaped wolves.

Mrs Dowsett, of Stanstead Road, Halstead, said eight people protested, but many thought the demo had been cancelled after she took down a Facebook page following threats.

She said: “We had quite a bit of response from people driving past and tooting and giving the thumbs-up.

“We were disappointed no one from the zoo came to speak to us.

“We need answers as to why one wolf was tranquillised and three had to be shot.

“The zoo does a very good job on most things and we weren’t there to stop people going in or cause trouble.”

Mrs Dowsett said police who made sure the protest went peacefully were fantastic.

Zoo marksmen shot three wolves dead after they got out of their enclosure on Tuesday morning.

Bosses said they were struggling to comprehend how they broke through the steel perimeter fence.

They say the wolves had to be shot dead because they could not be sure tranquiliser darts would be effective.