A “psychic” octopus who appeared to have correctly predicted two of Japan’s World Cup results apparently didn’t foresee his own demise, getting killed off and “sent to market” because his owner-fisherman decided cash was more important than viral fame.
The giant Pacific octopus — named Rabiot — was caught in Obira, Hokkaido and quickly rose to Internet fame when it correctly predicted Japan’s first win against Colombia as well as the team’s draw to Senegal early in the tournament.
Local media in Japan reported Rabiot’s owner, Kimio Abe, decided he’d make more money by selling the octopus meat at the market than he would by being the owner of an Internet celebrity.
“I hope that the second Rabiot will also give all the outcomes correctly and that Japan will go all the way,” Abe said, according to Sora News 24.
But Rabiot managed some posthumous revenge. After he was sent to the market, Japan lost, 1-0, to Poland on June 28 and then was knocked out of the round of 16 after a 3-2 loss to Belgium.
This is not the first time an octopus – or an unlikely animal – has made headline for correctly “predicting” the outcomes of World Cup games.
At the 2010 tournament in South Africa, Paul the octopus became an international star for correctly predicting all of Germany’s games as well as the final – in which it backed Spain to win over the Netherlands. Paul passed away peacefully in his aquarium at the Sea Life Center in Oberhausen in 2012.
Also this year, a Russian cat named Achilles is being touted as a psychic animal after it correctly predicted the World Cup hosts would beat Saudi Arabia and Egypt. However, the cat incorrectly backed Nigeria in that team’s 2-1 loss to Argentina.
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