Sir Nils Olav is the very model of modern Major General… oh, and he’s a penguin! 🤪
His full title is Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, and he is the world’s highest-ranking penguin.
🔎What is a Major General?
It is a rank in an army - and a high one at that! A major general usually commands an army of about 10,000- 20,000 soldiers.
The 21-year-old king penguin lives at Edinburgh Zoo, in Scotland, UK, and was promoted to his new role earlier this year.
King penguins are the second largest species of penguin. 👑
They are very special to the zoo, being its mascot!
Not only that, but Sir Nils is also a mascot for the Norwegian King’s Guard.
In fact, he’s the third king penguin at the zoo to become the official mascot of the King’s Guard - here's the whole story...
It all started in 1961, when Major Nils Egelien of the Norwegian King’s Guard fell in love with the penguin colony, saying the regal march of the king penguins reminded him of how the King’s Guard soldiers marched. 🐧
Years later, when they returned to Edinburgh, Egelien arranged for the army to adopt one of the king penguins as their very own mascot.
And that's how a wholesome tradition begun! ❤️
Sir Nils Olav has been promoted many times over the years!
• 1982 – Corporal
• 1987 – Sergeant
• 1993 – Regimental Sergeant Major
• 2001 – Honourable Regimental Sergeant Major
• 2005 – Colonel-in-Chief
• 2008 – Knighthood (he was Knighted by King Harald V of Norway – son of King Olav V)
• 2016 – Brigadier
• 2023 – Major General
Make no mistake, Sir Nils has earned each and every career advancement! 💪
He is very highly regarded by the Norwegian King’s Guard and has received multiple medals for his outstanding service. 🫡
Whenever the King's Guard come to visit Sir Nils, he is super happy to see them!
As Alison MacLean, the zoo’s Animal Team Leader, told us: “Sir Nils loves the interaction he has whenever the King’s Guard visit. He loves the fuss and is definitely a penguin that loves theatrics. He did so well coming out in August and seeing everybody, he made it look easy.
"We’re so proud to care for the world’s most famous penguin, just as much as the over 100 other penguins at Penguins Rock."
Everyone at the zoo just loves Sir Nils - and honestly, who wouldn't?! 😍
Whenever he sees his keepers, he runs over to greet them...
Of course, that could be because he believes that, being the highest-ranking penguin, he gets first dibs on the buckets of fish they bring for all the penguins!
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, visited the zoo to update Sir Nils’s record and give him his certificate.
Here's what he told us about his experience: “I’ve been lucky enough to encounter a number of Knights in my time at Guinness World Records [...] but only one could swim to a depth of 50 metres at 8 miles an hour with a mouthful of fish.
" [...] I’m greatly honoured to be able to confer on to Sir Nils another promotion today, upgrading his Guinness World Records title to reflect his exalted position as Major General. Congratulations, Sir Nils!”
Finally, Michael Livingstone, Senior Penguin Keeper at RZSS, said, “We are so proud to receive Sir Nils’s updated world record title. It’s an incredible privilege to not only work with a knighted penguin, but a Guinness World Records title holder as well.
Nils was promoted to Major General in recognition of his good conduct and for being a superb example for the rest of our penguins. He is a superb example for penguins around the world.
Congratulations, Sir Nils - you are Officially Amazing! 🥹
