Penguins take gold, silver and bronze at Edinburgh Zoo

Sponsors' favourite: king penguins at
Edinburgh Zoo. Photo by Fulla T.
Some rights reserved.

UNITED KINGDOM - Penguins are awesome, obviously, and it's heartening to see that the good people of Scotland recognise this. Well, Edinburgh Zoo supporters do at any rate, according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

Over the past year, king penguins were the most popular choice for people sponsoring animals from the zoo, with gentoo and rockhopper penguins coming in second and third respectively.

RZSS figures show that 180 people sponsored one of the regal kings (whose popularity probably gets a boost from having Sir Nils Olav, who received a Norwegian knighthood in 2008, among their ranks), 106 people a gentoo and 99 a rockhopper.

In my opinion, it's likely that the penguins' daily walk gives them the edge over the zoo's other animals. It's not often you get to see zoo animals leave their enclosures and strut their stuff. 

Tracy Hope, RZSS Acting Development Manager, told the media, "Animal adoption is a great way to support RZSS. Our animals need care 365 days a year, and by adopting an animal you can contribute to this."

Source

Scots rush to pick up a penguin, 2 January 2011, Press Association