'Mystic meerkats' predict England to reach Women's World Cup final
The prognosticating creatures are going for a hat-trick
After correctly predicting England's last two wins at the Women's World Cup, a group of 'mystic meerkats' at an East Sussex zoo are now tipping the Lionesses to reach the final.
The creatures at Drusillas Park, near Alfriston, are given the choice of two buckets filled with treats, each with the flag of a country on, to choose from, with the most popular of the two being the predicted winner.
This time, the creatures unanimously backed England to take victory over Australia on Wednesday morning (August 15th) - as they previous did for their wins over Nigeria in the last 16, and Colombia in the quarter-finals.
The ‘Mystic Meerkats’ have been predicting football results since 2021, and last year the mob correctly predicted the Lionesses’ results all the way to the Euro 2022 finals when the ladies brought it home – and they are hoping their tradition will bring England luck once again.
Keepers say the meerkats now recognise the buckets and run excitedly to get involved, with lots of happy chirping sounds as they choose which bucket to feast from.
Zoo Section leader Claudia Farley said:
“Whether you are superstitious or not, the meerkats have a pretty impressive track record with their predictions so maybe they know something we don’t!
"It’s now become a tradition here at the zoo and this year even our new baby, Reggie who is only a couple of months old, was in on the action too.
"We’re big football fans here and are so proud of our Lionesses, so it would be amazing for England to win as the meerkats have predicted."
Claudia continued:
“They seemed very confident in their decision today, with almost all of the meerkats scrambling to get in the England bucket – it’s amazing how many of them can fit in there, and there were lots of little tails and rear ends poking out the top.
"Even after the food was all gone, it was a struggle to coax them back out of the bucket, so we think that means they are very sure!"