Fisherman Kimio Abe caught an octopus off the coast of Hokkaido last month. But instead of killing it, he named him Rabio and proclaimed the cephalopod had the gift of clairvoyance. He even said Rabio could predict the outcome of Japan's World Cup matches.
He put the 8-legged creature in a plastic pool lined with three baskets. One that carried the Japanese flag, one carrying the flag of their competitor and another one with the words "draw." Abe claimed that he could put Rabio in the pool and the first basket he swam too would be the result of the match.
Kimio's claims quickly caught the eye of local media and he became an instant "celebrity."
For a while, it seemed that Mr. Abe was right. Rabio correctly predicted that Japan would defeat Colombia, tie with Senegal and lose to Poland. But he could never have predicted his own fate.
After using Rabio for entertainment and profit, he decided Rabio's usefulness had come to an end and sold the octopus for food. The octopus never got a chance to predict the outcome of Japan's final game between Belgium in which they lost.
Octopuses are extremely intelligent. They use tools, invent clever ways to avoid danger and have even escaped "high security" aquariums. While they are commonly eaten in Japan, it seems cruel and morbid for Kimio to have treated this animal like a star and then slaughter it a meal.
The Japan soccer team may have someone besides themselves to blame for their loss — Mr. Abe's terrible decision to slaughter their all-seeing mascot.
That's why Care2 is asking the Japan team to speak out against the killing of poor Rabio and ask Mr. Abe to stop fishing for these amazing creatures.
