Hogle Zoo orangutan's Super Bowl pick: Carolina

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Sorry Bronco fans, Tuah, the Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has made it's pick for the big game. Trying to follow in his father's footsteps, he's picked the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Tuah, a Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, trying to follow in his father's footsteps, picked the Carolina Panters as the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Tuah, the Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has made it's pick for the big game. Trying to follow in his father's footsteps, he's reached out and touched the Carolina helmet first, and picked the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Tuah, the Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has made it's pick for the big game. Trying to follow in his father's footsteps, he's reached out and touched the Carolina helmet first, and picked the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
At Utah's Hogle Zoo, "Acara" a Bornean Orangutan, and the older sister to "Tuah", gave Denver Bronco fans hope when she made a different choice when released into the cage with helmets representing Denver and Carolina. After biting off the face guard, she put the remnants of the Denver helmet on. But it was "Tuah" who picked the Panthers helmet, who had the official duty to follow in his father's footsteps and pick the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right.

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Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Sorry Bronco fans, Tuah, the Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has made it's pick for the big game. Trying to follow in his father's footsteps, he's picked the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Tuah, a Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, trying to follow in his father's footsteps, picked the Carolina Panters as the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Tuah, the Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has made it's pick for the big game. Trying to follow in his father's footsteps, he's reached out and touched the Carolina helmet first, and picked the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Tuah, the Bornean Orangutan at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has made it's pick for the big game. Trying to follow in his father's footsteps, he's reached out and touched the Carolina helmet first, and picked the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune At Utah's Hogle Zoo, "Acara" a Bornean Orangutan, and the older sister to "Tuah", gave Denver Bronco fans hope when she made a different choice when released into the cage with helmets representing Denver and Carolina. After biting off the face guard, she put the remnants of the Denver helmet on. But it was "Tuah" who picked the Panthers helmet, who had the official duty to follow in his father's footsteps and pick the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl, Thursday, February 4, 2016. His late father Eli picked six winners in a row before he died before the last Super Bowl, HIs one-year fill-in, Vulcan the African lion, also got last year's pick right.

The Salt Lake Tribune

· February 5, 2016 2:01 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Tuah the orangutan is going with Carolina in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Denver Bronco fans hope the Hogle Zoo youngster doesn't keep up his late dad's penchant for always picking the right team.

Eli, who died a little more than a year ago, went seven for seven in his Super Bowl prognostications, his finale being the selection of Seattle to beat the Broncos two years ago.

After he died of cancer, an African lion named Vulcan stepped in as an interim picker last year and, naturally, he picked the victorious New England Patriots to prevail.

So, on a chilly Thursday morning before the big game, Tuah was let into a cage by his zookeepers and promptly started dismantling a blue, cardboard Carolina Panthers sign in the shape of a football.

The 15-month-old, whose name means luck in the Malay language, then toyed with the Panther helmet, affirming his pick.