EUROPEAN brown bears based at the Welsh Mountain Zoo have been having a go at match predictions.

Bears at the Colwyn Bay zoo have been tasked with choosing the winning team and have tried their 'paw' at predicting the outcome of various games during the World Cup.

Tonight, unfortunately for England, the bears have selected Croatia to win!

Foods such as honey, herbs, fruits and dog biscuits are hidden in the balls. Using different muscles - the carnivores destroy the balls before being treated to their reward.

Tom Wootton, part of the presentations team at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, said: "My friend Amy who is helping with this works at a trainee keeper.

"At this time of year the bears naturally would be stocking up for hibernation.

"Lots of food is provided to them in various locations in the enclosure to encourage their foraging duration and zoo stimulate olfactory enrichment.

"The balls are a great addition to this routine as it is something the bears don't normally get. We conceal foods like honey, herbs, fruits and dog biscuits in the balls and watch as the bears use different muscles to destroy them and collect their reward.

"Whichever ball they destroy first is who the bears have chosen as the winner. They have exactly the same filling of treats in each ball."

The zoo is always looking for ways to enrich their bears and hiding food is a large part of this.

The bears have an acute sense of smell; they are capable of smelling meat from 20 miles away.

Hiding a selection of fruit, herbs and special treats like honey help stimulate their senses.