'Psychic' raccoon predicts England win

[1]

A 'psychic' raccoon at a British zoo has predicted that England will beat France in their opening Euro 2012 match on Monday, his keepers said.

Rocky the raccoon is the latest in a string of animals hailed for their so-called clairvoyant powers as the first round of European Championship games get under way in Poland and Ukraine.

The animal, kept at Bristol Zoo Gardens follows in the footsteps of Paul the 'psychic' octopus, who shot to stardom during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

France are the bookmakers' favourites to win Monday's Group D match in Donetsk, Ukraine, which is England's first competitive game under new manager Roy Hodgson.

But, when offered two pots with equal amounts of food marked with the shirts of the opposing teams, Rocky the raccoon was quick to plump for England.

"This is the first time Rocky has demonstrated psychic abilities and he's chosen the underdogs to win," said his keeper Mat Richards.

"So we are all keeping our fingers crossed that he is right and we have a win from England."
Zookeepers say it remains to be seen whether Rocky will enjoy the level of success of Paul the Octopus, who correctly predicted the outcome of all seven of Germany's matches during the 2010 World Cup.

The octopus, which was born in Weymouth, southern England and raised in Germany, died in October 2010.

But the eight-legged creature's success has spawned a plethora of copycat 'psychics' ahead of Euro 2012, including Citta the Elephant in Krakow and Funtik the Pig in Kiev.