Princess The Clairvoyant Camel, the "Prognosticator Extraordinaire," was euthanized two days ago after its caretakers decided it was inhumane to let the animal suffer further with its severe arthritis. Princess was a long-time resident of the Popcorn Petting Zoo in Lacey Township, New Jersey. In the past few weeks, however, the camel was in such pain that it could not stand, which led to the difficult decision to euthanize the animal.
Princess gained sudden notoriety in 2007. In that year, a certain radio station in New Jersey randomly selected Princess to pick the winners of several pro-football games as part of a publicity stunt. The process was simple. Cardboard signs bearing the names of each team in a particular match up were placed on a table, with gram crackers in front of each team's card. Princess "picked" the winner by eating the gram cracker in front of the "winning team." But, what started out as a humorous stunt backfired, in a way. You see, it turns out that Princess The Clairvoyant Camel had an uncanny knack for picking the winners well over fifty percent of the time. In fact, during the 2009 season, her best season, Princess picked 17 games correctly out of the 22 game season.
Princess was not just liked because she had a knack for picking the winners but also because, as camels go, she had a great personality. Princess once belonged to a local widow who just happened to be a millionaire. The elderly owner dearly loved Princess and kept her as a pet, not as an exhibit. When the lady was beset with poor health, she was no longer able to care for Princess the way she once did. Her friends persuaded her to donate Princess to the Popcorn Petting Zoo, where the camel lived from 2006 until she was euthanized this week. The people of Lacey Township came to love Princess as a friend, and as a "prognosticator extraordinaire," the clairvoyant camel that could pick the pro winners. I am sure the people of the township are feeling this loss as if they had lost a great friend, and I offer my condolences to them.
The clairvoyant camel's fans, both in Lacey Township, and around the nation, are not at a total loss with the death of Princess. A few days before she was euthanized, Princess picked this year's super bowl play-off winner. She believed the New York Giants would win their play off game. Alas, she was wrong on that one. She died before picking this year's Super Bowl winner.
Princess gained sudden notoriety in 2007. In that year, a certain radio station in New Jersey randomly selected Princess to pick the winners of several pro-football games as part of a publicity stunt. The process was simple. Cardboard signs bearing the names of each team in a particular match up were placed on a table, with gram crackers in front of each team's card. Princess "picked" the winner by eating the gram cracker in front of the "winning team." But, what started out as a humorous stunt backfired, in a way. You see, it turns out that Princess The Clairvoyant Camel had an uncanny knack for picking the winners well over fifty percent of the time. In fact, during the 2009 season, her best season, Princess picked 17 games correctly out of the 22 game season.
Princess was not just liked because she had a knack for picking the winners but also because, as camels go, she had a great personality. Princess once belonged to a local widow who just happened to be a millionaire. The elderly owner dearly loved Princess and kept her as a pet, not as an exhibit. When the lady was beset with poor health, she was no longer able to care for Princess the way she once did. Her friends persuaded her to donate Princess to the Popcorn Petting Zoo, where the camel lived from 2006 until she was euthanized this week. The people of Lacey Township came to love Princess as a friend, and as a "prognosticator extraordinaire," the clairvoyant camel that could pick the pro winners. I am sure the people of the township are feeling this loss as if they had lost a great friend, and I offer my condolences to them.
The clairvoyant camel's fans, both in Lacey Township, and around the nation, are not at a total loss with the death of Princess. A few days before she was euthanized, Princess picked this year's super bowl play-off winner. She believed the New York Giants would win their play off game. Alas, she was wrong on that one. She died before picking this year's Super Bowl winner.
No comments:
Post a Comment