Paul, world-famous'psychic' octopus, dies inGermany

Paul the octopus, who shot to
fame during this year's football
World Cup for his flawless
record in predicting game
results, has died peacefully in
his sleep, his German aquarium
said Tuesday.
A football jersey of the
Spanish national team is held in
front of the aquarium of the
'psychic' octopus Paul at the
Sea Life in Oberhausen,
western Germany, in July. Paul,
who shot to fame during this
year's football World Cup in
South Africa for correctly
predicting the outcome of
games, has died peacefully in
his sleep, according to his
aquarium in Germany.
"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 statement.
"He appears to have passed
away peacefully during the
night, of natural causes," said
Sea Life manager Stefan
Porwoll.
"His success made him almost a
bigger story than the World
Cup itself... We had all naturally
grown very fond of him and he
will be sorely missed."
Paul beat the odds during the
World Cup by correctly
forecasting all eight games he
was asked to predict, including
Spain's 1-0 win over the
Netherlands in the final.
For the prediction, two boxes
were lowered into the salty
soothsayer's tank, each
containing a mussel and the
flags of the two opposing
teams.
Watched by a crowd of
reporters, Paul would head to
one box, wrench open the lid
and gobble the tasty morsel,
with the box he plumped for
being deemed the likely winner.
His astonishing ability made him
a global media phenomenon. His
later predictions were carried
live on rolling news channels in
Germany.
Within an hour of his death,
more than 150 messages of
condolence were posted on
Paul's "official" Facebook page.
"Paul, we will never forget you.
We love you," wrote one. "There
will never be an octopus as
cool as you again," wrote
another.
Paul himself "wrote" from
beyond the grave: "It seems,
my time has come, finally. Take
care everybody. Hugs and
don't forget me."
The eight-legged oracle
became a media superstar for
his skills, but he naturally fell
out with fans whose teams he
failed to tip.
He was slammed in the British
press for treason after tipping
Germany to beat his "home
country" which they duly did,
4-1.
He then fell offside with bitter
German fans who threatened
to turn him into sushi after he
correctly predicted a semi-
final defeat for the
Mannschaft against Spain.
Stung by Paul's "treachery",
some sections of the
350,000-strong crowd
watching the game on giant
screens in Berlin sang anti-
octopus songs.
The honour of Paul's mother
was also called into question in
the stands, and Paul's home
aquarium received death-
threat emails saying "we want
Paul for the pan."
No less an authority than
Spanish Prime Minister Jose
Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero called
for octopus bodyguards.
And Spanish Industry Minister
Miguel Sebastian called for the
creature to be given an
"immediate" free transfer to
Spain to "ensure his protection."
But Paul's fans need not
despair too much at his death.
The aquarium has already been
grooming a successor, to be
named Paul like his mentor.
Paul's body is now in cold
storage while the aquarium
decides "how best to mark his
passing."
"We may decide to give Paul his
own small burial plot within our
grounds and erect a modest
permanent shrine," said Porwoll.
"While this may seem a curious
thing to do for a sea creature,
Paul achieved such popularity
during his short life that it may
be deemed the most
appropriate course of action."