Zoo Animals Pick World Cup Winners in Guadalajara

While economists gave Mexico less than 1% odds of winning the World Cup, Guadalajara Zoo had a more optimistic forecast this weekend. A 40-year-old elephant named Ashanti confidently picked Mexico to beat South Africa in Thursday's tournament opener.

The zoo invited elephants, gorillas, giraffes, capybaras, a puma, and even a macaw to predict winners for matches scheduled at Guadalajara Stadium. Animals chose between food, shirts, boxes, and soccer balls representing different teams while curious visitors watched.

A puma named Muluk sniffed objects before moving a ball to predict South Korea over Czechia in Thursday's 8 p.m. match. The capybaras assigned to pick the Mexico versus South Korea game couldn't commit, eating equally from both team-branded bins.

Six giraffes, including 10-year-old Juana and 5-month-old Joel, favored the Democratic Republic of Congo over Colombia despite Colombia ranking 13th in FIFA's world rankings compared to Congo's 45th spot. Gorillas Chenchi and Faustina predicted another upset by choosing Uruguay over second-ranked Spain.

A macaw joined the fun by flying down to snatch a peanut from the "Mexico" side of a mini soccer field. Danae Vazquez, head of communications at Guadalajara Zoo, said the animals made their choices freely.

Sunny's Take

The predictions brought pure joy to families visiting the zoo, turning sports forecasting into a moment of connection between people and animals. It's a reminder that sometimes the best predictions come from creatures who just follow their instincts and appetites.

Mexico's national team, known as El Tri, heads into the tournament unbeaten in eight games after crushing Serbia 5-1 last week. Whether the animals prove more accurate than the economists remains to be seen, but they've already won at bringing smiles to their community.