English Section

Polish rare albino penguin wins international competition

20.04.2024 08:45
Kokosanka, the world's only albino African penguin born in Poland’s Gdańsk Zoo, has been chosen as penguin of the year in an international contest.
Kokosanka.
Kokosanka.Photo: Gdański Ogród Zoologiczny/Facebook

An African penguin named Kokosanka (“coconut cake” in Polish), a five-year-old female, took home almost 83% of the public's votes during March Of Penguin Madness, an annual contest organized by Penguins International, an organization dedicated to preserving and protecting penguins.

That placed her well ahead of her two US-based rivals: Pearl, an emperor penguin chick from SeaWorld in San Diego, and Littlefoot, a king penguin from the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, notesfrompoland.com website reported.

Born in 2018 and marked by a rare genetic anomaly, she's more than her mesmerizing red eyes and distinctive lack of pigmentation—„she's a beacon of individuality in the penguin world,” the Gdańsk zoo’s officials have said.

The zoo believes that Kokosanka’s newfound international success is „due to her unique appearance but also a campaign in support of her by a popular Polish social media account, Make Life Harder, which has over 1.5 million followers on Instagram.”

(aj)

SOURCE: notesfrompoland.com