LEICESTER City striker Jamie Vardy has been slammed by animal rights campaigners for saying he wanted to buy a penguin or giraffe as a pet.

The ex-England ace said he was taken in by the black-and-white Antarctic waddlers’ “cuteness”.

He added: “It sounds strange but I looked up trying to buy a penguin to have in the garden.

“I’ve not purchased one. However, I found out how to buy a giraffe and all sorts of animals.”

But Peta said keeping penguins as pets is cruel and Vardy “surely knows they are not playthings or garden ornaments”.

The charity’s Elisa Allen added: “The sale of exotic animals is one of the world’s largest sources of criminal earnings.

“It’s the animals paying the price.”

Dad-of-five Vardy, 35, already owns four dogs and 11 chickens.