Blank Park Zoo's baby giraffe picked a Super Bowl winner — and gained some confidence, too

Is Patrick Mahomes about to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to their second Super Bowl in three trips?

That's what two giraffes at Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo believe.

On Wednesday, Bakari, the zoo's 5-month-old giraffe, attempted to make his official Super Bowl LVII prediction. Zoo staff set up two bundles of food along an enclosure, with a Chiefs and Eagles logo on each container.

Bakari wasn't sure what to make of the setup at first, so his mother, Zola, stepped in to make her selection, snagging a bite out of the brush with the Kansas City logo without hesitation. After watching his mother, Bakari trotted over to the gate and took a bite off the same branch.

"It’s really good mental stimulation," said Makaela Moores, one of the zoo's large mammal keepers. "Anything new tends to be scary, so (it's about) desensitizing things so that everything isn’t as scary. Mom was here, so it wasn’t. He was able to come up and approach the cameras, which is good for boosting his confidence."

Not only does this help enrich the calf's brain, but Moores believes activities like this help raise awareness for his species. According to her, most of the giraffe subspecies are either endangered or critically endangered.

"Everybody loves a baby giraffe, so bringing people here gives us a good opportunity to tell them about conservation, how the park helps with wild giraffes and the native populations," she said.

Fans will have to wait until Sunday to find out if Bakari and Zola got it right. The Chiefs and Eagles kick off at 5:30 p.m. CT on Feb. 12.

More on Bakari:Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo officially names its recently born giraffe calf

Originally, the zoo wanted to have an eagle make this year's Super Bowl prediction

Zoo spokesperson Ryan Bickel said he originally wanted an eagle to make this year's prediction, representing the Philadelphia logo. Unfortunately, the logistics weren't as easy as the giraffe's setup.

"I talked with the keeper about how we could do this, how we could set this up. They said the eagles don’t really care about football," he said.

From 2018:Eagles will 'seal the deal' on Sunday, according to sea lions at Blank Park Zoo

Zoo animals also correctly picked the Chiefs and Eagles to win past Super Bowls

In 2020, a red panda from the zoo predicted the Chiefs would defeat the 49ers. Kansas City ended up winning that game 31-20. It's worth noting that the following year, a giraffe correctly pegged the Buccaneers to defeat the Chiefs.

Back in 2018, the last time Philadelphia made it to the big game, Addy the sea lion chose the Eagles to beat the New England Patriots. The Eagles won 41-33, after Addy leapt out of the water and touched a ball with the Philadelphia logo.

More:Photos: Giraffe picks Bucs to win Super Bowl

Over the last 12 years, zoo animals picked nine winners

Picking nine winners of the last 12 Super Bowls is nothing to scoff at.

Last year, Misha, a 10-year-old Amur tiger, correctly chose the Los Angeles Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI. Zoo staff placed two logos inside the enclosure and marked both with identical perfume. Going against her striped NFL counterpart, the tiger rubbed up on the glass and licked the Rams logo.

Bickel said the zoo tends to choose a baby animal, one that's been in the news recently or one of their signature residents to make the annual predictions.

Previously:Blank Park Zoo just welcomed a baby giraffe. You can help name him.

What to know about Bakari the giraffe

Bakari was born on Sept. 6, 2022, to parents Zola and Jakobi. More than 3,000 people cast votes for the calf's name. Bakari, which means "hopeful and promising," took the crown.

Moores said when Bakari was born, he was a bit smaller than the average giraffe. Typically, giraffes are about six feet tall upon birth, but Bakari was closer to five and a half feet.

Now, he's nearly tripled his weight and grown about two feet.

"He’s a pretty confident fellow, even though he was a little shy today," Moores said. "He’s very inquisitive, so I think he was very confident with his choice once mom was there with him."

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Blank Park Zoo giraffes predict a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl win