SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Birch Aquarium’s Little Blue Penguin, Meatloaf, and SeaWorld San Diego’s Emperor Penguin chick, Pearl, have made it to the third round of Penguin International’s March of the Penguin Madness Tournament this spring.
Meatloaf is competing against Kokosanka from Zoo Gdańsk in Division 1, and Pearl is competing against Sir Elio from the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Division 4.
The public worldwide can vote for their favorite penguin to advance to the Showdown Six.
Voting for this round started Sunday and remains open for 48 hours, ending at midnight (MDT) Tuesday.
The March of the Penguin Madness Tournament is an international education initiative by Penguins International, a nonprofit organization based on Colorado. Their mission — “protecting penguins to protect the planet.”
The penguins in the tournament were nominated by employees at zoos, aquariums, museums and other institutions that care for penguins. Out of hundreds of nominees, 48 contestants were chosen to compete for the title of the world’s favorite penguin in 2024.
There are three ways to vote:
- Vote on Penguins International’s website
- React to Penguins International’s Facebook post for Meatloaf and Pearl
- Vote on Penguins International’s Instagram polls
Meet the penguins representing San Diego County
Meatloaf
Meatloaf is a 2-year-old Little Blue Penguin from the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. Coming in at the size of a California Burrito, the Birch Aquarium says she is a little penguin with a big personality.
Meatloaf came to the Birch Aquarium along with four other Little Blue Penguins just ahead of the 2024 new year. Birch Aquarium is the only place on the West Coast where you can find Little Blue Penguins.
Pearl
Pearl is 5-months-old. She was the first Emperor penguin chick to hatch at SeaWorld San Diego since 2010.
The penguin chick emerged from her shell in September 2023 and was named Pearl after 29,000 people voted to select her name.
The “Peng Win Champion” of the March of the Penguin Madness competition gains international recognition and a permanent place in the Iceberg Hall of Heroes. They also get a crown, a personalized menu featuring fish, squid and krill, and take on the role of a Global Penguin Ambassador.
View a full list of the 2024 contestants online here.
The competition is taking place ahead of World Penguin Day on April 25.
