Octopus predicts Spain to win
Reuters - Friday 09 July 2010, 10:16
BERLIN - Germany's oracle octopus
Paul picked Spain to beat the Netherlands in the World Cup final
on Sunday in a live television broadcast watched across Europe.
The two-year-old celebrity octopus, who has accurately
picked the outcome of all six of Germany's World Cup matches so
far, quickly tipped Spain to beat the Netherlands. It took him
only three minutes to make up his mind.
GEAR: Get a World Cup final shirt
"That was fast - it looks like a clear-cut victory for
Spain," said Tanja Munzig, spokeswoman for Sea Life in
Oberhausen. She was surprised by his speed in picking Spain. For
some matches it took Paul 70 minutes to decide.
The octopus, considered by some to be the most intelligent
of all invertebrates, got the choice of picking food from two
different transparent containers lowered into his tank - one
with a Dutch flag on it and one with Spain's flag.
Reaction in Spain was swift, with the country's biggest
selling sports daily website Marca.com running the headline:
"The octopus Paul makes us champions".
The container Paul opens first is regarded as his pick. On
Friday he wasted no time in diving for the container on the
right side with the Spanish flag on it.
Two German television networks interrupted their programming
for live coverage of the two-year-old celebrity octopus's picks.
Networks in Spain, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe also
broadcast Paul's decision live.
Earlier on Friday, Germans heaved a sigh of relief when Paul
tipped Germany to beat Uruguay in the World Cup match for third
place. There were cheers in offices across Germany after crowds
of viewers tuned in to watch Paul live.
Normally he only picks Germany matches. But for the final
Sea Life made an exception.
The octopus in Oberhausen turned into a global celebrity for
correctly picking the winners of all six of Germany's World Cup
matches - including their two defeats to Serbia and Spain.
On Friday Paul first settled on top of the Germany container
but after a few minutes shifted to the Uruguay container. Then
after about 15 minutes he went back to Germany container,
quickly opened the lid and ate the morsel of food inside.
Not an ordinarily superstitious people, Germans have become
believers in Paul's possible psychic powers. The country was
shocked and distraught when he picked Spain to beat Germany
after tipping German wins over Argentina, England, Ghana and
Australia.
Paul's selections have become top news across Germany and
around the world. Some commentators even wondered aloud whether
his improbable winning streak might have begun to influence some
of the more superstitious players.
But after Paul accurately picked Spain to beat Germany in
the semi-final, some Germans called for a public roasting of the
oracle octopus. Newspapers and websites were filled with
suggestions on how to cook and eat him.
Officials at Sea Life in Oberhausen have installed extra
security to protect their octopus.
"Paul is in safe hands with us," said Munzig.
Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was
quoted in Spanish media reports saying - in jest - he was
concerned about Paul's safety.
"I am concerned for the octopus...I am thinking of sending
him a protective team," Zapatero said.
Spain's Environment and Fisheries Minister Elena Espinosa
also said: "On Monday I shall be at the European Council of
Ministers and I shall be asking for a (fishing) ban on Paul the
octopus so Germans do not eat him."
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