May in Bloom

 

Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, is a colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King's Guard. He is also a penguin. Nils Olav resides in the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, and he is the third king penguin to hold this name and honor. It all started in 1913, when the family of a Norwegian shipping magnate donated a king penguin to the newly opened Scottish zoo. In 1966, the Norwegian King’s Guard visited the zoo. Following this visit, Lieutenant Nils Egelien arranged for his regiment to adopt one of the penguins. This penguin was named Nils Olav, for the lieutenant, and for Olav Siggerud, contingent commander of the guard. The first penguin was originally a lance corporal, but there were subsequent promotions and even a knighthood. The current Nils Olav holds the rank of major general. According to Guiness World Records, he’s the world’s highest ranking penguin.