A pride of rescued lions at a UK wildlife sanctuary has joined the World Cup conversation by making its own predictions for England’s group-stage campaign.
As part of an enrichment activity, the big cats were presented with boxes decorated with the flags of England’s opponents — Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Keepers at the Big Cat Sanctuary interpreted whichever box the animals showed interest in as their prediction for the match outcome.
Lioness sisters Amani and Lira appeared to favour England over Croatia, while male lion Rori also seemed to back the Three Lions against Ghana. The final prediction was less encouraging for England, with lioness Vanda choosing Panama’s box, suggesting an upset in the last group-stage game.
The sanctuary’s lions were rescued from Ukraine and relocated to the UK last year. While their forecasts may not rival those of football pundits, their World Cup picks are already providing fans with a light-hearted talking point ahead of England’s campaign.