SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Utah’s Hogle Zoo African Lion, Vulcan, made his third prediction of who would win the 2023 Super Bowl. On Thursday, Feb. 9, Vulcan chose Philadelphia Eagles as his 2023 pick.
Should his prediction ring true, Utah’s premier “fur”tune-teller will keep his undefeated streak in picking big game winners.
The prediction was made with the help of “referee” animal keepers who measured the field and set up goalposts an equal distance apart that featured each team’s name and logo. The same amount of Vulcan’s favorite food was added to each goalpost to keep the prediction as impartial and unbiased as possible.
When Vulcan was released, he wasted no time going straight for the Eagles’ goalpost and began snacking down on the food, officially marking his prediction.
Vulcan, an 11-year-old African lion, came to be a part of Utah’s Hogle Zoo in 2014. African lions are part of the zoo’s Big Six conservation program which works with global organizations in saving African lions, African elephants, polar bears, Bornean orangutans, boreal toads, and Salt Lake’s Jordan River.
Since coming to Utah, Vulcan has correctly chosen the New England Patriots as the winners in 2015. He did it again in 2022, picking the Los Angeles Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the third time the African Lion has stepped up for Hogle Zoo to make a Super Bowl prediction.
Other Hogle Zoo animals such as Zuri the African elephant and Nikolai the Amur tiger are also part of the Super Bowl prediction team and have an undefeated track record in their choices.
As for Vulcan, he enjoys being able to be part of the yearly Hogle Zoo tradition.
“They are able to play with [the goalposts], destroy [them] – it kind of acts on their natural behaviors,” said Hogle Zoo African Animals Care Supervisor Michelle Olandese. “It helps with their physical and their mental stimulation.”
Hogle Zoo guests also seem to love the prediction. Olandese said the lions are just bigger cats, meaning they tend to sleep a lot and cuddle. When they are active, she said visitors love to see all the activities lions love to do.
The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4:30 p.m.
