The octopus, considered by some to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates, got the choice of picking food from two different transparent containers lowered into his tank — one with a Dutch flag on it and one with Spain’s flag.
Reaction in Spain was swift, with the country’s biggest selling sports daily website Marca.com running the headline: “The octopus Paul makes us champions”.
The container Paul opens first is regarded as his pick. On Friday he wasted no time in diving for the container on the right side with the Spanish flag on it.
Two German television networks interrupted their programming for live coverage of the two-year-old celebrity octopus’s picks. Networks in Spain, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe also broadcast Paul’s decision live.
But after Paul accurately picked Spain to beat Germany in the semifinal, some Germans called for a public roasting of the oracle octopus. Newspapers and websites were filled with suggestions on how to cook and eat him.
Officials at Sea Life in Oberhausen have installed extra security to protect their octopus.
“Paul is in safe hands with us,” said Munzig.
Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was quoted in Spanish media reports saying — in jest — he was concerned about Paul’s safety.
“I am concerned for the octopus…I am thinking of sending him a protective team,” Zapatero said.
Spain’s Environment and Fisheries Minister Elena Espinosa also said: “On Monday I shall be at the European Council of Ministers and I shall be asking for a (fishing) ban on Paul the octopus so Germans do not eat him.”
Source :thedailystar.net
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