"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium said in a sober statement.
The mollusc predicted all the outcome of the matches involving Germany including the Final where he predicted Spain to win. Paul was so to say the centre attraction during the world cup. In fact his prediction almost made him a bigger story than the World Cup itself.
For the prediction, two boxes were lowered into the salty tank, each containing a mussel and a flag of the two opposing teams. Paul would head to one box and open the lid and gobble the tasty morsel. The box he opened and eat the morsel from was considered to be the likely winner.
However Paul retired from predicting matches after the World Cup but was selected as the Brand Ambassador for England’s 2018 World Cup bid in August. Earlier too Paul was involved in predicting the outcome of football matches. He predicted four out of six results correctly at Euro 2008 – but came back strongly two years later with a cent percent record.
Paul's body is now in cold storage while the aquarium decides "how best to mark his passing." Owing to his popularity during his short lifetime, Sea Life manager Stefan Porwoll said "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine,"
Paul Rest In Peace
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