Newsmaker

Crocodile predicts Australian PM victory in election

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-19 17:19

CANBERRA - An enormous saltwater crocodile named Harry picked Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard as the winner of the federal election in Darwin of Australia on Wednesday.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard answers questions at a townhall meeting as part of her election campaign in Brisbane August 18, 2010. [Agencies]

Harry weighs about 720 kilograms and is nearly five meters long. He lives in an enclosure at a popular tourist attraction on one of Darwin's busiest streets.

Related readings:  Sino-Aussie ties to improve after election  Australia should be a republic: PM  Australia PM Julia Gillard: First female leader fights close election  Australian former PM Kevin Rudd lands UN job

On Wednesday afternoon, two chickens were held over his enclosure. One had a photo of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and the other a photo of Opposition leader Tony Abbott.

According to ABC News, Harry took five minutes to make up his mind, but eventually decided to chomp on Gillard's chicken.

Last month, Harry correctly picked Spain to win the soccer World Cup.

ABC News on Friday reported that another crocodile at the enclosure, Bert, picked the winner of the Darwin Cup from a field of 12 horses earlier this month.

For decades, handlers have used the crocodiles to settle a range of issues, from who should do the chores to which lotto numbers to pick.