Trish Clemit, 59, was named the overall winner of the 2026 Seagull Festival Championships in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, impressing judges with her seagull impersonation honed over 51 years. She expressed her affection for the birds, stating they are “much misunderstood” and describing them as “cheeky.”

A tunnel collapse at Tropical Birdland in Desford, Leicestershire, led to the deaths of a mob of meerkats, including the matriarch, Big Mama. Only one meerkat survived the incident, which the zoo attributed to heavy rainfall following a heatwave that weakened the tunnel structure.