Michigan penguin wins March of the Penguin Madness
Phil (Photo: John Ball Zoo via Penguins International)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Michigan penguin is wearing the March of the Penguin Madness crown after battling through a bracket of 48 other other flightless birds.
Phil, a 9-month-old Magellanic penguin from John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, was crowned the champion Friday.
In the finals, he beat out Nio, a southern rockhopper penguin at the Indianapolis Zoo, and Marley, a 22-year-old northern rockhopper from the Aquarium at Moody Gardens in Texas. Nio came in second place, leaving Marley in third.
Phil (Photo: John Ball Zoo via Penguins International)
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 was not the only Michigan penguin in the competition. Atticus and Minnie from the Detroit Zoo were both contenders in this year's bracket.
Minnie was knocked out in the first round, while Atticus made it to the semi-finals.
Atticus (left) and Minnie (Photos by Detroit Zoo via Penguins International)
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.
The Source: This information is from the Penguins International website and a press release from the organization.