FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth Zoo’s lucky charm, Asian elephant calf Brazos, made quite the play Thursday, Feb. 9 by predicting that the Philadelphia Eagles will win Super Bowl LVII this Sunday. The field was set with two pachyderm-sized footballs, each painted with the respective teams’ logos – Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. With his coach, mom Bluebonnet, and No. 1 cheerleader, Angel, on the sidelines, Brazos took the field and never looked back. Without hesitation, the 1,610-pound elephant punted the Eagles football for the official pick!
Last year, Brazos successfully ended a seven-year losing streak, so it was a no-brainer to put Brazos in the starting lineup once again. We have high hopes for the direct descendent of the Fort Worth Zoo’s original prognosticating pachyderm, Rasha. The Zoo’s animals have been predicting Super Bowl outcomes since 1998 – Rasha has the most picks under her belt, with a record 10 selections! Her grandson Brazos is the Zoo’s golden boy selected to keep this one-year streak alive! But hey, nothing else matters as long as you’re having fun, right? Not only is it fun for viewers to watch, but the enriching activity itself enhances the animal’s environment and promotes psychological wellbeing by changing the complexity of its habitat. We’re crossing our fingers for a correct pick and saying, “Fly Eagles, fly!”
The nationally acclaimed Fort Worth Zoo has been voted a top zoo in North America by USA Today, one of the “World’s Greatest” by BloombergTV, the Best Zoo in Texas by Yahoo Travel, the No. 5 zoo in the nation by USA Travel Guide, the No. 1 family attraction in the DFW Metroplex by Zagat survey and a Top 10 Zoo or Aquarium by FamilyFun magazine. Home to nearly 7,000 animals, the Zoo is in the third of a four-phase, $130-million master plan. The first phase, African Savanna, opened in 2018; the second phase, Elephant Springs, opened in April 2021. The third, Predators of Asia and Africa, is currently under construction and set to open in 2023. The institution’s focus on education and conservation is second to none, enhancing the lives of more than 1 million visitors a year and the animals that live there.