'Mystic meerkats' correctly predict England's Euros win
The creatures at Drusillas Park have a knack of getting results right
It may have made for hairy viewing at times, but England are into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 - as correctly predicted by a group of 'mystic meerkats' in East Sussex.
The group, at Drusillas Park near Alfriston, have gained a reputation for correctly predicting the results of big games involving both the men's and women's sides.
They kept up their reputation by choosing England to beat Slovakia through the highly scientific method of choosing between two buckets of worms, each containing the flag of one of the countries competing in the match.
It was a close-run thing, though, as Gareth Southgate's side came within a minute of crashing out of the tournament, before Jude Bellingham's 95th-minute overhead kick and a Harry Kane header in extra-time saw them overcome the Slovaks 2-1.
The buckets are placed down before the meerkats are released and left to choose which bucket they would prefer to eat from. The bucket surrounded by the most meerkats is then declared the predicted winner.
Senior Keeper at Drusillas Park, Freya Grayson said:
"Whether you are superstitious or not, the meerkats have a pretty impressive track record with their predictions so I’m choosing to believe in them!
"It seems like the meerkats are pretty certain England have got what it takes to go all the way. With no messing around they all seemed to choose the England bucket and Slovakia barely got a look in!
"Even after the food was all gone, it was a struggle to coax them back out of the bucket, they were so eager to pick England they even knocked that bucket over!"
Keepers are hoping the creatures will be able to replicate their success from the last Men's Euros in 2021, when they correctly forecast all of England's results up to their defeat to Italy in the final.
They also correctly predicted the Lionesses' results up to their World Cup final last year.