Ruptly
"A few days before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Guadalajara Zoo organized a series of predictions for some of the tournament's matches this Friday with the help of some of its most emblematic species. African elephants, gorillas, giraffes, capybaras, macaws, and a puma participated in activities designed to predict the results of several matches that will be played in the host city of the World Cup. The initiative aimed to stimulate natural behaviors of exploration, food searching, and decision-making, while also bringing the public closer to the animal welfare programs developed by the zoo. "The animals are the most important thing the zoo has (...) these types of activities help them a lot (...) the animals also enjoy it a lot, they like to participate and these are novel experiences for them that help them in their day-to-day," commented Ivan Reynoso, head of the primate area at the Guadalajara Zoo. During the day, the African elephants Kenia and Ashanti chose Mexico as the winner against South Africa in the opening match. The gorillas Chencha and Faustina leaned towards Uruguay in the duel against Spain; the puma Muluk favored South Korea over the Czech Republic; while the giraffes predicted a victory for the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Colombia. The capybaras, on the other hand, did not show a clear preference in the match between Mexico and South Korea, so the caretakers interpreted a draw. The activities consist of distributing food, toys, or visual elements related to each team and allowing the animal to interact freely with one of them, turning that choice into a symbolic prediction. "What we do is provide the possibilities (...) what we use would be part of its diet which is horse meat and now the specimen where it smells or that catches its attention more is where it will go," explained Pamela Thomas, a member of the Behavioral Management Team at the Guadalajara Zoo. Guadalajara will host four group stage matches of the 2026 World Cup, including the matches Republic of Korea vs. Czech Republic, Colombia vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uruguay vs. Spain, and Mexico vs. Republic of Korea..."
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