Nature campaigners in animal costumes take over council session for ‘inter-species democracy meeting’

A group of "animals" took over a council meeting in the hopes of giving non-human voices more prominence.

Southampton National Park City campaigners donned costumes at an "interspecies democracy meeting" in the city last week as part of the Urban Wild festival.

The campaign says it has a vision for the city to be "an urban setting where vibrant biodiversities are woven into the fabric of our daily lives, where people, culture and nature can coexist harmoniously."

Outgoing lord mayor, Councillor Dave Shields, dressed up as an owl. Other costumes included a foxglove, a salmon, and a butterfly.