Monkeys gripped by football fever

Squirrel monkeys are native to South America

An unlikely football team have been showing off their lightning speed and agility ahead of England's first World Cup match.

Eleven Bolivian squirrel monkeys enjoyed a knockabout, but showed they were just as likely to handle the ball, as they were to kick it.

A special virtually indestructible ball painted with a St George's cross was used in the home game at London Zoo.

The monkeys, which are under threat, live in a new barrier-free enclosure.

Visitors can walk through the enclosure designed to replicate a Bolivian forest as part of the Meet the Monkeys exhibit.

Breeding programmes

A spokeswoman for the zoo said the balls are used for enrichment with different animals.

The same monkeys were trained not to steal in April when they became tempted to snatch visitors' bright, bleeping mobile phones.

Squirrel monkeys, which run along the branches of forest canopies using their tails for balance, are native to South America where they are under threat.

Currently London Zoo, together with other zoos in England, is involved in breeding programmes aimed at increasing numbers of the species.

They are often pets, and used for biomedical research, bait and food.