Michigan penguin makes it to March of the Penguin Madness finals; Detroit Zoo's Atticus eliminated
Phil (Photo: John Ball Zoo via Penguins International)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A fluffy king penguin from the Detroit Zoo who made it far in March of the Penguin Madness sadly did not make it to the finals - but another Michigan competitor is still hanging on.
Atticus, a 6-month-old penguin who hatched at the zoo last August, advanced to the semi-finals, but was knocked out in the most recent round. He fell to Marley, a 22-year-old northern rockhopper who lives in Texas.
Atticus (Photo by Detroit Zoo via Penguins International)
Penguins International, the nonprofit that hosts the bracket each year, revealed the final three penguins Thursday, and one of them calls John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids home.
Phil, a 9-month-old Magellanic penguin, moved on to the finals after defeating Squid, an African penguin, who is from Birdwold in the United Kingdom. The competition between the two birds was so fierce that it caused an error on Instagram, and forced Penguins International to only count votes from Facebook and its website for that bracket.
Meet Phil
Last year, John Ball welcomed three penguin chicks - the first at the zoo in six years. Phil was the smallest, and he had some struggles early on. At about six weeks old, he did not want to eat, but after a blood donation from his dad, he started eating and is now doing well.
He is described as "a strong, healthy little dude."
Phil (Photo: John Ball Zoo via Penguins International)
Other birds in the final round include Nio, a southern rockhopper penguin at the Indianapolis Zoo, and Marley, who triumphed over Atticus.
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 for the finals opens April 13. Cast your vote on the Penguins International Facebook, Instagram story, and website.
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 organization.