Meet 'psychic' parrots who accurately predicted England team's World Cup results
An extraordinary pair of rescue parrots are causing a bit of a stir at a zoo in London, after accurately predicting the results of England's journey in the FIFA Women's World Cup, right up to the Lionesses' quarter-final win against Colombia. They've also perfectly predicted Australia's progress in the tournament, leaving zookeepers "astonished".
Jack and Edward, whose history remains pretty "mysterious", arrived at Hobbledown Heath just over a year ago, and it soon became apparent that there was something pretty special about them. Lee Froud, general manager at Hobbledown Heath, told the Mirror: "Jack knows when it's going to rain. Jack will go inside his house before it rains. So that's when we first noticed."
The zoo keepers couldn't believe their eyes (Hobbledown Heath)
The parrots' past is said to be a bit of a 'mystery' (Hobbledown Heath)Wanting to put Jack's extraordinary sensitivities to the test, staff began asking him for his predictions ahead of each World Cup game, starting at the group stages, taking footage each time. Staff are able to do this by popping two blocks in front of Jack, leaving him in a "neutral position", and watching carefully as he "instinctively goes left or right".
They've so far been amazed by just how accurate Jack's guesses have turned out to be, and speaking with the Mirror just 25 minutes before the Lionesses' semi-finals match against Australia, Lee claimed, "He's accurately got us right up to this point now".
The zoo quickly realised there was something special about the parrots (Hobbledown Heath)The morning of the semi-final however turned out to be the first time Jack lost a bit of confidence in himself, with the brightly coloured bird apparently seen deliberating back and forth between the two sides. Surprised at Jack's sudden indecisiveness, Lee remarked: "He seems really torn between choosing between England and Australia, which would indicate to me that this is going to be a tight game."
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As we now know, England earned a 3-1 victory against Australia, securing a place in the finals. Up until Lauren Hemp's second-half strike, however, things were looking a bit close, and it could well be that Jack was sensing the tense neck-and-neck stretch before the Lionesses' eventual triumph.
Lee added: "I'm astonished at how accurate he's got it, and how, with conviction up until this point. Again, this morning was the first hesitation we've seen!"
The team are hoping Jack will accurately predict the final this sunday (Hobbledown Heath)According to Lee, Jack is the more psychic parrot, while Edward is more of a "hanger-on", the "supporter" to Jack's natural "lead". They're a "cheeky", food-loving pair, who get on well together, and with the other parrots on their side of the aviary. Jack is very much the "leader" of what Lee dubs "the good crew", with the parrots on the other side of the aviary said to be much naughtier and prone to fighting.
In order to be fully rested prior to his predictions, Lee and the team ensure Jack gets plenty of sleep before games, and also make sure to reward him generously with "tubs of treats". Jack will of course be making predictions ahead of this Sunday's final, which the team will share on social media beforehand.
Lee continued: "If they win the World Cup, and Jack ends up with a 100 per cent winning streak, then we should put more things in front of Jack, 100 per cent. I might get him to start picking Lottery numbers next!"
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