A black jaguar oracle in Rio de Janeiro sniffs Brazil to beat Scotland in Group C challenge

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A new animal oracle for the World Cup has arrived, and it's the kind that few would challenge even if its prediction is wrong.

A black jaguar named Poty has made her pick at Rio de Janeiro's BioParque for the highly anticipated World Cup Group C clash between Brazil and Scotland in Miami on Wednesday.

Residents and soccer fans watched closely on Monday as Poty took part in a lighthearted forecasting event, which placed her in front of two enrichment boxes representing the two rivals.

The jaguar sniffed both options before confidently selecting the Brazil box. However, she briefly returned to inspect the Scotland choice, a moment experts on Poty say shouldn’t be ignored.

“Maybe it indicates a tough game for us,” said BioParque biologist Caio de Souza Silva. “Maybe it’s a win, but it could also be a more complicated match. Hopefully we don’t concede a goal, but it may suggest a more physical game for Brazil.”

Brazil co-leads Group C with Morocco at 4 points each, but is ahead on goal difference. Scotland has three points and could advance regardless of the result. Morocco's rival will be Haiti, which is yet to add points to its tally.

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