By Alan Shope
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A very special bird is turning heads at the KC Zoo & Aquarium, and it’s not just because of his unique bowtie.
If you want to see what a top-notch, attractive penguin looks like, you can stop your search with Littlefoot.
He has zero countershading, zero camouflage, and white on his back. All these attributes make this king penguin one in a million.
He’s also one of three finalists in March of the Penguin Madness, a contest sponsored by Penguins International— which the nonprofit hopes to use the competition to provide help and care to penguins in the wild.
“Because it’s so unusual when compared to other penguins out there, I think that’s where some of the voting is,” Sean Putney with the KC Zoo told KMBC on Monday.
Littlefoot is now up for the crown of cutest penguin in the world.
“It’s just pretty cool. It’s just a fun thing to get people involved with conservation and penguins and getting them more information,” Putney said.
He says the penguin exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo is one of the most popular attractions…
“They’re just mystical and amazing creatures in the water. A bird and most people think of birds as flying around, how they get along, and they’ve adapted to living in the water,” Putney remarked.
Littlefoot has been at the zoo for two years and was hatched here. That’s a good thing because he probably wouldn’t survive in the wild.
Putney says his lack of natural camouflage would have made him an easy mark for a predator.
Win or not, Littlefoot has his own following here in Kansas City.
Today is the last day to vote for Littlefoot. You have until midnight to go to help this handsome bird out.
Hundreds of nominees are chosen every year by employees at zoos, aquariums, museums, and other institutions that house penguins in human care.
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