Rare Polish albino penguin Kokosanka voted world champion
- Published
- comments
Poland's viral penguin won best of the best in an international public vote
Who's the most popular penguin? Well, it turns out it's Kokosanka, a rare albino African Penguin, who won number one in an international competition.
More than 800,000 people voted for their favourite penguin out of a shortlist from across the world, put together by penguin-protection organisation Penguins International.
This year, there were high hopes for Frank, a Humboldt penguin living in Hampshire in the UK.
Frank got as far as the final six showdown, but was nipped to the 'Peng Win Champion' title by Kokosanka.
Frank lives in Paultons Park and his species, the Humboldt Penguin, is classed as vulnerable
Kokosanka, whose name means "coconut cake", lives in a zoo in the Polish city of Gda艅sk. Her rise to the top was helped by videos of her going viral in Poland.
Penguins International think that she may be one of the only albino African Penguins, who are themselves an endangered species, in the world.
The yearly March of the Penguin Madness competition is run to raise awareness of the cute creatures and the threats they face.
Katie Propp, Chief Operations Officer at Penguins International, says: "If every person that voted for the penguins in this competition took action on their behalf, just imagine the impact we could have for these animals in the wild!"
Second and third place went to Littlefoot, a King Penguin living in Kansas City, and the San Diego-based Emperor Penguin Pearl
- Published11 March
- Published20 January 2022
- Published12 February
