The not-so-sweet smell of success! 20 skunks strut their stuff at Britain's first-ever beauty contest for the animals

Skunks competed for Best Male, Best Female and Best in Show prizes

They were judged by a panel on their looks, tail, health and personality

After the main contest, they donned their costumes for fancy dress round



Twenty of Britain's most odour-able creatures battled it out to land the top prize at the first ever pet skunk beauty pageant.

The stinky but groomed animals were judged on tail length, attitude and the cuteness of their nose.

And when the ballots were in, they lined up again for the fancy dress round.

Owners spent months preparing for the showdown in Birmingham yesterday.



Competitors at the first beauty pageant for skunks included a pair named after Wayne and Coleen Rooney who arrived in England football kits. But the pair hissed at each other throughout

Phoebe the skunk dressed up as a bumble bee for the fancy dress round of the pageant, which was held in Birmingham

Paddy, an overweight Irish skunk dressed as a vicar, bagged the fancy dress prize for his costume

A defrocked Paddy took his place on the judging table at Birmingham RFC watched by spectators including a woman sporting a 'I heart skunks' T-shirt

One couple presented their two skunks, Coleen and Rooney, in his and hers England football strips.



But the stubborn pets, who were having a lovers' tiff, refused to kiss and make up for the ceremony and hissed when they were put near each other.

Hairdresser Sandra Vaughan, 43, has been planning her entry since June, having designed bride, groom and bridesmaid outfits for her pets Essence, Effy and Pepe Le Pew.



But the happy wedding scene became a solemn affair when Essence died three weeks ago.



She said: 'Being an owner of exotic animals everyone you know seems to think you're a bit strange, so it was lovely to meet up with likeminded people. All of us love our animals and it's nice to be around people who understand.

'It was such a good day, everyone had a great time and all the animals were so well behaved, except my Pepe. It seems he doesn't like skunks he doesn't know so I'm covered in scratches today.



'We only had one problem, one of the judges at the last minute decided he didn't agree with dressing animals up and refused to judge the fancy dress.

Pepper Pots, left, and Logan, right, were among those judged on their appearance, attitude - and cuteness of their noses

Flower, a seven-week-old skunk, would certainly have scored highly when it came to judging cuteness

Jordi Alba, aged one, inspects her trophies after winning Best Female and the overall Best in Show trophy

River, the winner of Best Male, nestled into his proud owner's shoulder at the pageant ground

'He had known he was going to do it for a while but at the last minute decided he wouldn't so we had to find someone at short notice.'

Paddy, an overweight Irish skunk, won the fancy dress round with his vicar costume.

Best in Show and Best Female winner, seven-month-old Jordi Alba, was praised by the panel, including animal expert Dr Daniel Allen, for her excitable personality and 'adorable' features.

Owner Laura Muir, 29, said: 'The judges said she had a lovely coat, and she is very fit. Just a very very good pet.

Animal expert Dr Daniel Allen was among the judging panel who examined the skunks' personalities as well as their looks and health

Judges had to consider the coats, tail length and temperament of the skunks before deciding who was the winner

Skunk owners Alyss Dickinson, pictured left with Phoebe, and Emily Campbell, right with two-year-old Skyla



'I didn't have to groom her - she keeps herself clean. She doesn't stink at all - she only lets off when she's really upset so I just need to keep her happy.' Miss Muir, an administrator from Telford, has always owned rats but last year decided she wanted something 'with more personality'. She said: 'The thing about skunks, compared to cats and dogs, is their character. People say cats have a strong personality but skunks are a lot more interesting.

Skyla's owner, 16-year-old Emily Campbell, brought the albino skunk down from Lancashire to compete at the pageant

A skunks parades at Birmingham RFC at the whiffy creatures' equivalent of Crufts

'And they live for about 13 years, which is much longer than rats.'

At £450 a pop, skunks are regarded as a high-end pet by those in the know.

And there's no escaping the stench since laws in 1997 made it illegal to remove the glands that produce the chemical.

Gregory Alders, 27, holds his pet skunk Sakski, left, while Lee Beck, 30, brought along Rocket, his pet raccoon