Nature
PUBLISHED
The idea of animals in the military isn’t exactly a new one, but perhaps you’re thinking along the lines of pigeons, horses, or maybe even marine mammals. Head to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, however, and you’ll find a less traditional picture of a military member: a king penguin.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.We’re talking about none other than (*takes deep breath*) Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of Bouvet Island and the current Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard. As the name implies, this impressively credentialed king penguin is actually the third in a series of king penguins at the zoo to have been given a role in the Norwegian Army, going back all the way to 1972.
Eleven years previously, members of the King’s Guard were on a trip to Scotland that included an outing to Edinburgh, with activities featuring a visit to that year’s Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and to the city’s zoo. While there, Nils Egelien, the head of the Guard’s music troop, reportedly took a shine to the zoo’s penguin colony.
When the Guard returned in 1972, they officially adopted a king penguin at the zoo. They named him Nils Olav – “Nils” after Egelien, and “Olav” after Olav Siggerud, contingent commander of the Guard at the time (though others say it was after King Olav, Norway’s reigning monarch at the time). On top of that, they also made the penguin the official mascot of the battalion and awarded him the rank of lance corporal.
This first penguin gradually rose through the ranks each time the King’s Guard visited the zoo, being promoted to corporal in 1982 and then Sergeant in 1987. Unfortunately, shortly after this last promotion, Nils Olav I died.
His role has since been taken over by two other king penguins, both of whom have also received a number of promotions. The current Nils Olav was given a knighthood in 2008, and in 2023, he was awarded his current rank of major general, the third-highest rank possible in the Norwegian Army – all because, over 60 years before, the right guy just really vibed with the penguins at the zoo. And honestly, we get it.
According to Guinness World Records, his title also makes him the highest-ranking penguin in the world – although, no offense to Sir Nils, but we can’t imagine that’s a particularly difficult feat to achieve. Based on him appearing to be an all-around good egg, however, we’re willing to overlook that.
“He is a very special penguin,” wrote Laura Moffat, Experienced Animal Keeper at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo, for Penguins International in 2023. “Not just because he is part of the military and a ‘celebrity’, but because of his charismatic personality and having him greet you every morning by singing to you makes you realise being a zookeeper is a very special job!”
We salute you, Major General Sir Nils Olav III.
