'Mystic meerkats' at East Sussex zoo make England semi-final prediction
The family of 17 at Drusillas Park have accurately predicted England's wins so far
A group of "mystic meerkats" has predicted England will beat the Netherlands in the semi-final of Euro 2024, earning the Three Lions another shot at the footballing trophy.
The "psychic powers" of the meerkats at Drusillas Park in East Sussex have accurately forecast victories for the home team throughout the tournament so far, with their keepers hoping they continue their winning streak of predictions.
England will face the Netherlands in Wednesday's semi-final after beating Switzerland in a penalty shoot-out on Saturday to reach the final four.
And according to the meerkats, the England squad should be guaranteed the win.
The animals make their selection by choosing one of two buckets of nuts - a favourite meerkat snack - each with a flag on the side to represent the opposing teams.
The containers are placed side by side before the meerkats are released, and whichever bucket is surrounded by the most animals is declared the winner, with the England offering being the firm favourite so far.
The meerkats had previously predicted England's women's Euros win in 2022.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, lead zookeeper Freya Grayson said the meerkats were the zoo's "lucky charms".
"They seem to have some real talent, and I'd probably let them go as far as picking my lottery numbers."
She told us not all the meerkats were spot on every time.
"We've got a few younger meerkats in the group and they've probably not quite fine-tuned their psychic powers, but the majority of the time they do get it spot on."