Sir Nils Olav III Penguin Promoted to Major General
Sir Nils Olav III, who lives on Penguin Rock at Edinburgh Zoo, has been promoted to the honorary rank of Major General as the official mascot of the Norwegian Royal Guard.
According to the news reported by Euronews Turkish, approximately 160 uniformed soldiers visited the Scottish zoo to award the king penguin the third highest rank in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Currently a brigadier general, the penguin holds the glorious title of “Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands”.
Edinburgh Zoo shared photos from the graduation ceremony on their social media account. The penguin, who also wears epaulettes, is one of the king penguins serving in the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Norwegian Royal Guard Lieutenant Nils Egelien, who attended the Royal Military Celebration in Edinburgh for a drill in 1961, was fascinated by the zoo’s penguin colony. Seeing that his troop’s gait bears an uncanny resemblance to the gait of black and white birds, Egelien had the Kingsguard adopt a penguin when he returned to the Scottish capital ten years later.
This penguin was named Nils Olav after Nils Egelien and King Olav V of Norway, who was on the throne at the time.
Lieutenant Nils Egelien passed away on December 11, 2020 at the age of 87. Scandinavian soldiers promoted the penguin every time they visited Scotland, but occasionally new birds appeared.
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The ceremonial troops also send the penguins fish and Christmas cards each year.
Olav, who began his career as a mascot in 1972, became a corporal in 1982; captain in 1987; regimental major in 1993; He became a lieutenant colonel in 2001 and a colonel in 2005. Penguin was knighted in 2008, personally approved by King Harald V of Norway, and became a brigadier general in 2016.
Captain Fredrik Gresseth, of the Norwegian Royal Guards Band and Drill Team, said: “His promotion this August for his good behavior and for setting a perfect example to the other penguins at Edinburgh Zoo is a turning point in his career as a guard mascot. saying.
David Field, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, described the promotion ceremony as “a very proud moment and represents the continued close collaboration between the two countries, Scotland and Norway.”