2 Detroit Zoo penguins competing in March of the Penguin Madness - How to vote for them
Atticus (left) and Minnie (Photos by Detroit Zoo via Penguins International)
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - Learn about penguins while you help two of Detroit Zoo's flightless birds on their mission to be named this year's March of the Penguin Madness champion.
Detroit Zoo residents participating in the 2025 bracket include Minnie and Atticus.
Meet Minnie
Minnie is a female penguin who is almost 10 years old. She is a mix of a macaroni penguin and a rockhopper penguin. Both of these species have a vulnerable conservation status, meaning that they are at high risk of extinction in the wild.
Meet Atticus
At 6 months old, Atticus is the Detroit Zoo's newest penguin and the fluffiest competitor in March of the Penguin Madness. He is a king penguin - a species that falls into the lowest level of conservation concern. This means that the species and its habitat are healthy and don't meet the criteria for being near extinction.
What is March of the Penguin Madness?
Coinciding with a favorite time for college basketball fans, March of the Penguin Madness encourages people to learn more about different penguin species while voting for their favorite birds.
"We want to highlight penguins in zoos and aquariums that serve as ambassadors to their species," said Katie Propp, the CEO at Penguins International. "Wild penguins continue to face numerous threats, as demonstrated by the uplisting of African penguins from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ last October. Penguin ambassadors at zoos and aquariums inspire guests to want to save their wild counterparts which is why the awareness aspect of this competition is so important."
Hundreds of nominees were narrowed down to 48 penguin contestants spanning 12 species that will compete bracket-style to be crowned the championship.
It's held by Penguins International, a Colorado-based non-profit with a goal of protecting penguins. The organization does this through community education, field conservation, and scientific research, according to its website. The non-profit said that currently nine out of 18 species of penguins are threatened with extinction.
What you can do:
Voting opens on Sunday, March 16, and will be available on the Penguins International Facebook, Instagram story, and website.
Voting schedule
Round 1: March 16-18
Round 2: March 23-25
Round 3: March 30 to April 1
Round 4: April 6-8
Round 5: April 13-15
The winner will be announced on April 18, and a celebration will be held on April 25, which is World Penguin Day.
The Source: This information is from the Penguins International website and a press release from the non-profit.