National Football League

Ape who picked 7 straight Super Bowl winners dies

Published Sep. 9, 2014 2:04 p.m. ET

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A Utah ape who gained national fame by accurately predicting the Super Bowl winner seven consecutive years has died.

The Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City announced Tuesday that the 24-year-old orangutan named Eli died Saturday from complications due to breast cancer.

He was diagnosed with the cancer in 2011, and had two surgeries to remove masses. Recently, he lost his appetite and was acting as if he were uncomfortable. He died during an exploratory procedure.

Eli was born Topeka, Kansas, zoo and moved to Utah in 2004.

He made his Super Bowl pick each year by choosing between papier-mache helmets or goal posts with team logos. Last year, he swiftly knocked down a helmet bearing the Seahawks logo. Sure enough, the Seahawks defeated the Broncos.

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