Ape at Utah zoo picks Patriots to win Super Bowl

An ape at the Salt Lake City zoo is predicting the Patriots to win this weekend’s Super Bowl.

Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Erica Hansen said Thursday that a 12-year-old orangutan named Acara grabbed the face mask of the Patriots’ papier-mache helmet first instead of the Eagles’ helmet to signal her selection.

Acara is trying to snap a two-year streak of incorrect Super Bowl predictions by animals at the zoo and recapture the glory her father, Eli. He gained fame for picking seven straight correct Super Bowl winners before dying in 2015.

Acara and her little brother Tuah last year incorrectly picked the Falcons.

Hansen joked that Acara may not be as big a football fan as her father, who used to burst into the enclosure and immediately smack a helmet. Acara waits longer and is more easily distracted.