Drusillas
Tango, pictured with his two siblings, came from Drusillas Park
An escaped capybara, missing rings united after a tip raid and a teenager with no hands who said golf had saved his life.
We have selected six stories to make you smile that made the news in Jersey and Guernsey in 2025.
Escaped capybara forces temporary closure of zoo
The large rodent was discovered in the Tamarin woods in the zoo grounds
Jersey Zoo closed in July after a capybara escaped from its enclosure.
Staff noticed Tango was missing while doing their morning checks.
The zoo reopened after the mammal team “quickly located” the large rodent in the Tamarin woods in the zoo grounds.
The two-year-old moved to the zoo from Druisillas Park in East Sussex where he was a feature of World Book Day and demanded cuddles from author Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
Waste team find woman’s lost rings at tip
Katie Thomas
The missing engagement ring was found in rubbish, along with Katie Thomas’ wedding ring
A woman praised the “absolute heroes” who found her lost engagement and wedding rings, which were accidentally thrown out in a bin bag when she was decluttering her home.
Katie Thomas lost them after clearing out some drawers and realised they may have made their way to the tip after being put in the bin by her three-year-old daughter by mistake.
She contacted Guernsey Waste which tracked her visit to the recycling centre on CCTV and started searching at Longue Hougue.
Mrs Thomas said the staff “went above and beyond” to identify her bin bag.
Golf ‘saved my life’, says man born with no hands
Adam Dalton was born with under-developed arms and no hands
A Jersey teenager born with a congenital limb deficiency (CLD) said learning to play golf had been “life-saving” for him.
Adam Dalton, who lives by the motto “no hands, no limits”, has under-developed arms, no hands and only the use of his left leg.
The 19-year-old played in the G4D Open in May, competing against talented golfers from across the world.
He said he discovered golf while trying out many sports to see which he could enjoy playing without pain.
Missing cat reunited with family after six years
Sue Vidamour
Lalana was found living in a hedge
A cat that went missing from its home in Guernsey was reunited with its owner after six years.
Lalana moved to Vale with her family in 2019 but managed to escape after becoming frightened by something.
Her family, who had given up all hope of finding her, were reunited with their mog after she was found living in a hedge and rescued by animal volunteer Sue Vidamour.
She checked 13-year-old Lalana’s microchip, linking to her old address in Castel, and contacted the Cozens family who had “feared the worst”.
Centuries-old family archive returned to Jersey
Jersey Heritage
Among the highlights is a 14th Century inheritance contract
A collection of family papers spanning more than six centuries and three continents was returned to Jersey.
The de Gruchy-Pallot family archive, which includes documents dating to 1397, was transferred from the University of Alberta at the request of the family and is now housed at Jersey Archive.
The archive tells the story of Charles and Annie Pallot (nee Giffard) and their six children, whose lives stretched from Jersey to Canada and Africa.
Among the highlights is a 14th Century inheritance contract, now one of the oldest documents in the archive, and records of Adele Haarseth (nee Pallot), a decorated military nurse who served in the Anglo-Boer War and World War One.
Widow ends anniversary marathon in wedding dress
Chloe Morgan
Laura Coleman-Day and Kate Walford ran the marathon to raise money for cancer research
A widow whose husband died of blood cancer completed the London marathon while wearing her wedding dress.
Laura Coleman-Day, from Lincolnshire, took part in the running event in April as part of a challenge to run 13 marathons in 12 months to raise money for a blood cancer research charity.
She ran the marathon with her friend Kate Walford, from Guernsey, who was also running multiple marathons for her best friend who she lost to the disease.
Previous quizzes and news round-ups
