'Octopus Paul' successor 'Puma Pulido' appears... "Korea beats Czech Republic, draws with Mexico" — a pleasant scenario

*This content was translated by AI.

A puma named "Pulido" living at a zoo in Mexico has predicted that Korea will defeat Czech Republic in the opening match of Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Mexico's "Daily Mexico" reported on the 9th (Korea time) that "Pulido" at Guadalajara Zoo pushed a ball toward the sign bearing the Korean flag among the Korean and Czech Republic jerseys, predicting a Korean victory.

Guadalajara Zoo held an event to predict the results of the North American World Cup matches by utilizing the animals' natural food-searching behaviors. A 40-year-old elephant named "Ashanti" predicted that host nation Mexico would defeat South Africa in the opening match. A herd of giraffes predicted a victory for Colombia over the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a gorilla named "Chenchi" predicted a win for Uruguay against Spain.

The prediction for the second group stage match between Korea and Mexico was left to a group of capybaras. The capybaras shared food evenly from two feeding troughs, hinting at a draw. For Korea, a victory against Czech Republic followed by a draw against Mexico is a quite positive scenario.

Danae Vasquez, the head of Guadalajara Zoo, explained the background of the event, stating, "The intention was to enjoy the World Cup more fun with light-hearted predictions rather than heavy analysis."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time animals have predicted World Cup match outcomes. At the 2010 South Africa World Cup, "Paul," an octopus at the German Marine Biology Museum, correctly predicted the results of eight matches, including those of the German national team and the final, drawing widespread attention.

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*This content was translated by AI.