N. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - Luani, the North American river otter at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, made his Super Bowl LVII prediction Saturday at the 12th annual Otter Bowl.
And he did not disappoint.
Luani picked the Philadelphia Eagles over the Kansas City Chiefs to win, much to the cheers of the fans in the habitat.
- Lehigh Valley Zoo held its 12th Otter Bowl on Saturday
- Luani the otter picked the Philadelphia Eagles to win
- The otters have only been right three times so far
Lauren Campbell was at the Otter Bowl with her boyfriend Adam Tyson and her 2-year-old nephew. It was her fifth year attending the event. She said she believes Luani can predict who will win.
"He's been pretty right for most years," Campbell said. "We know last year he wasn't, but when him and Naya were in here they were right for like 100% of the time. So, we take it pretty seriously."
Naya was a 14-year-old otter that died in 2021 after undergoing surgery to remove a mass.
"We'll be ready to celebrate when they win."Mark Pitosky, Eagles fan
Zoo staff said the otters' track record on the predictions over the past 12 years is actually mixed. Luani and Naya previously and the two female otters before them have been right three times, wrong seven times and once there was a tie.
The crowd at the zoo cheered as Luani selected a football indicating the Eagles would win. Moments later, another cheer went up: "E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!"
Otter Bowl attendees Mark Pitosky and Debbie Binder plan on driving to Philadelphia Sunday to watch the Super Bowl, which is being played in Glendale, Ariz. Pitosky said they'll be staying in a hotel off Broad Street.
"We'll be ready to celebrate when they win," he said.
Sara Koplish, general curator at the zoo, said the event is a great time for staff and the public. But it's also a reminder about the importance of conserving and preserving wild animals like otters who play important roles in our ecosystem.
"Certain populations have gone extinct in certain areas or they moved to new locations due to typically habitat loss or even pollution," she said. "Especially because they are semi-aquatic."
Koplish said people can help conserve the habitats and numbers of the North American river otter by not littering and eating sustainable seafood.
