PAUL OCTOPUS dies

[al-Sagar]

Paul the World Cup octopus dies in his tank in Germany

Paul the octopus, an unlikely star of the 2010 World Cup who 'predicted' the outcome of seven matches, has died at an aquarium in Germany.

Staff at the Sea Life centre in Oberhausen said they were "devastated" to learn that he had passed away during the night.

Paul made his name by successfully choosing a mussel from one of two boxes bearing the flags of competing nations.

Octopuses rarely live beyond two years so his death was not unexpected.

Paul was two-and-a-half years old and had been hatched at another centre at Weymouth in England in 2008.

Uncanny knack

The centre's manager, Stefan Porwoll, said that Paul had correctly guessed the winner of all Germany's World Cup matches, including their defeat, and had "enthused people across every continent".

As the tournament progressed, the octopus's uncanny knack of selecting the correct box drew increasing interest from the world's media, culminating in his choice of Spain as the eventual winner.

He became an instant hero in Spain, prompting a request to have him put on display at Madrid zoo.

Amid the euphoria, he was even made an honorary citizen of a Spanish town before being made an ambassador for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

The Oberhausen centre said he had seemed fine when last checked on Monday night but was found dead on Tuesday morning.

The prophetic cephalopod's brief but extraordinary life is unlikely to be forgotten.

A documentary has been filmed and books and toys are already planned for the Christmas market.

"It's a sad day. Paul was rather special but we managed to film Paul before he left this mortal earth," said his agent, Chris Davies.

A memorial is to be erected at the aquarium in his memory.

[magic boy]

oh! sorry to know. he was the best entertainer of 2010 world cup.

[ialbd]

its sad indeed....

everyone thought he could do the 2012 euro as well.... they need to find Paul's offsprings now....

global football events from now on would be incomplete without an octopus associated...

[FagunerAgun]

It is a sad news.

[Nadim]

Interesting...

The death of World Cup oracle Paul the Octopus has sparked a rash of conspiracy theories claiming that the octopus was already long dead before his demise was reported on Tuesday.

Paul became a global phenomenon after successfully predicting eight consecutive results during this summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Chinese film director Jiang Xiao had been making a film about the cephalopod seer's exploits, but during her research became convinced that the real Paul had died during the tournament.

She told The Guardian that she believes Paul actually died two days before the World Cup final - and was quickly replaced by an impostor.

"I am 60 to 70 per cent sure that Paul died on July 9 and the Germans have been covering up his death and fooling us for a long time," said Jiang, who is making a film about her claims entitled 'Who killed Paul the Octopus?'.

"We have been keeping in touch with the German aquarium ever since the beginning (of production) but it seemed to me that they were afraid," she added. "The movie is about unveiling the inside story behind the octopus miracle, so they felt nervous."

As for pulling off the switch, Jiang insisted that such subterfuge would be simple.

"They all look the same. It is impossible to tell the difference," she said.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/271020...aul-death.html

[Zunaid]

Now who could have predicted that?

[Habib]

It seems we need Scotland yard to unveil the mystery behind Paul's death

[AsifTheManRahman]

Does he have any descendants?

[Habib]

^Read in PA that in the same aquarium in Germany there is another Octopus named Paul is being raised for the same purpose. But no he's not a direct descendant from the original Paul & his 'psychic power' is yet to be tested.

[ammark]

I had deep fried Octopus tentacles in Coxs Bazar during Durga Puja weekend. Quite good I must say. The Germans should have made good on their threats and eaten Paul while they had the chance. mmm... Rubbery

[al-Sagar]

Originally Posted by Habib
^Read in PA that in the same aquarium in Germany there is another Octopus named Paul is being raised for the same purpose. But no he's not a direct descendant from the original Paul & his 'psychic power' is yet to be tested.

paul Octopus JUnior or 2.0

[rachely476]

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