A Bexleyheath entrepreneur has revealed to News Shopper how her creation provides stimulation for bored elephants.

Industrial design student Marie Yates, 23, made the toy as part of her industrial design studies at Brunel University.

The former Townley Grammar School pupil, of Woolwich Road, explained how she made the feeder tricky to give captive elephants a puzzle.

News Shopper:

She said: "There is a maze-like interior so that the food is not too accessible which prevents the elephants remembering the exact pattern of rolling it takes to release the food.

"The internal maze also provides increased strength to the shape and means that the feeder can withstand at least five tonnes of pressure.

"After being in the exhibition, it is now back at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Canterbury and is being enjoyed by a herd of 13 African elephants."