Behold, the honorable Sir Nils Olav — Norwegian penguin, noble knight, and, just recently, brigadier general in the army of his home country.
Though his current address is Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, Sir Nils Olav remains loyal to his homeland. The huggable penguin is named after Major Nils Egelien, who organized his adoption way back in 1972, and then-King Olav.
Edinburgh Zoo announced that Sir Nils Olav has traded his knighthood medal for a brigadier general after he was appointed in the army of his home country.
The Edinburgh Zoo says Sir Olav is regarded very highly among the Norwegian guardsmen and has received these honours due to his “outstanding service and good conduct”.
A short but touching ceremony was held to commemorate the special event, with 50 of His Majesty the King of Norway’s guardsmen standing in earnest salute even under pouring rain.
Sir Nils Olav’s military efforts date back to 1982, when he first started his military career as a corporal. Due to his superior service, the exemplary penguin was given several promotions.
The Norwegian military’s mascot is a king penguin. Edinburgh zoo has been home to Sir Nils Olav, while the caretakers continue their research about the breed which started in the early 1900s.
The military distinction is a way for Scotland and Norway to celebrate the bond that has been established through care of the species. Every few years, the army visits Sir Nils Olav when it is in town to perform in the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a military band performance held in Edinburgh.
“This is just a simply fantastic example of the great relations between our two countries, and it couldn’t be a more charming tradition,” Brigadier David Allfrey, the head of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said.
In 2005, the most famous king penguin in the world was appointed Colonel in Chief. In 2008, he was personally honored with the honorary knighthood by King Harald V of Norway.
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Although there have been three successive penguins called Nils Olav since 1982 (the average penguin’s lifespan is about 20 years), it is an irrelevant piece of information that can be overlooked. The current Nils Olav that was just made brigadier, Sir Nils Olav III, took over from Nils Olav II.)
It just goes to show that no dream is too big, even for a king penguin.