A KC Zoo penguin named finalist in world animal competition. How you can help it win

You have less than 24 hours to help a Kansas City Zoo penguin be crowned the world’s favorite penguin.

Littlefoot, a 2-year-old king penguin residing at the zoo, is one of three finalists in Penguin International’s March of the Penguin Madness competition. The animal went head-to-head with 47 other penguins from around the globe and is in the finals after four rounds of voting. the voting started on March 17.

The competition is an initiative by the Colorado-based non-profit to educate people about the problems penguins face in the world as their environment changes.

You can vote online to crown the “Peng-Win Champion” on Penguin International’s website and on the nonprofit’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Voting closes at the end of the day Monday.

Littlefoot finds himself competing against Pearl, a 5-month-old emperor penguin from Sea World San Diego and Kokosanka, a 5-year-old African penguin from Zoo Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland.

Why was Littlefoot nominated by the Kansas City Zoo?

Kansas City Zoo officials said in a press release that Littlefoot was nominated because of his inspiring story.

When Littlefoot hatched, he was found to have lost a lot of blood, failed to absorb his yolk and was less than half his expected weight, zoo staff said. His prognosis was very poor despite receiving immediate medical treatment from the zoo’s animal care specialists.

The next day, Littlefoot had an energy and fight that zoo staff said was unexpected. Over the next several weeks, he required extensive medical care and frequent feedings to give him the best chance at survival.

“His will to survive helped him defy the odds and Littlefoot is now one of the larger king penguins in the colony,” the zoo said in a statement.

“He is also one of the friendliest and most curious penguins.”