As we reach the conclusion of March of the Penguins Madness (MOTPM) 2025, it is clear this will be a tight race up until the end. Before finding out the winner, let’s check in with last year’s winner, Kokosanka, and first runner-up, Littlefoot.
I recently reached out to staff at the Zoo Gdańsk and the Kansas City Zoo to check in with Kokosanka, the albino African Penguin, and Littlefoot, the resilient King Penguin, who both won the attention and hearts of thousands last year. Here is what their caregivers, Kelsey Doughtery from the Kansas City Zoo and Pawel Ciesielski from the Zoo Gdańsk, wrote about their penguin champions.
Can you tell me a little bit about this penguin’s story?
“Kokosanka hatched on December 12, 2019, and surprised the penguin caretakers quite a bit. At first, there was suspicion that it was a seagull that had landed in the enclosure, but it quickly turned out to be a penguin chick. Fortunately, her parents took care of her with affection and dedication. This was the first offspring for this pair, but they raised her properly. When Kokosanka started taking her first walks, we designated a special area for her and her parents, where we introduced the calmest penguins. We
wanted to see how the other penguins would react to Kokosanka’s ‘differences’. It turned out that everything was fine, and the other penguins accepted her.” – Pawel
Ciesielski
Source: Zoo Gdansk
Kokosanka at Zoo Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland
“Littlefoot, who was incubated by his parents, externally pipped on his first expected hatch day. Typically, when birds begin to hatch, their yolk sac is absorbed and the veining within the membrane they break through before externally pipping recedes. Neither happened for Littlefoot so immediately he started to lose blood and did not have the energy or caloric reserves a newly hatched chick typically has. He was also about half the body weight of a healthy newly hatch King Penguin chick. The next day he
surprised all of us with a feed response. This left us all hopeful, but we were also guarded. Littlefoot continued to show interested in food, though his feed response was not long lived. Healthy chicks begin to gain weight 2-3 days after hatching. Even with additional around the clock feedings, Littlefoot did not gain weight for weeks. It was for this reason that staff opted to completely hand rear him. Once Littlefoot started to gain weight, he didn’t stop, and he continued to grow into a healthy, personable, charismatic,
and special King Penguin.” – Kelsey Doughtery
Littlefoot at Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium in Kansas City, Missouri, USA
What do you like most about this penguin (personality, impact, species of penguin, etc.)?
“Kokosanka, as one of the few penguins in Gdańsk, eats from hand. Our colony is not
specially tamed. We aim for them to be as independent as possible. Kokosanka is an
exception in this regard. Although she gladly eats herring from hand, she still keeps her
distance from humans. She has her favorite zookeepers who visit her most often.” –
Pawel Ciesielski
“Littlefoot is a team and staff favorite. We have had multiple teams come and visit our
penguins and Littlefoot is always there to say hello and get some interaction. He
typically checks on us as we do our daily routine in the morning and in the afternoon
when we spread snow across their habitat. For the March of the Penguin Madness is
2024, we had staff and volunteers who helped raise him or who have come to know him
well describe him in one word. He was described as "resilient, playful, flirty,
rambunctious, curious and helpful." Littlefoot is also special because many of us here
helped raise him and saw him struggle and persevere to become the larger-than-life
personality he is. His story and his love of the spotlight makes him a terrific ambassador
bird because he brings so much joy to those who meet him. He motivates people to
care about King penguins or penguins in general.” – Kelsey Doughtery
Any major updates about Koko or Littlefoot since winning MTOPM?
“Today, ‘Koko’ is 7 years old and has also attempted breeding. In this species, males are the active ones in searching for a mate, but in Kokosanka’s case, she had to take the initiative. There has been interest from males, but so far, Kokosanka has not become a mother. Since Kokosanka has found a non-albino partner, we received approval from the coordinator for breeding.” – Pawel Ciesielski
“Littlefoot continues to be an amazing ambassador running over to anybody who comes
to visit his home, insists on being present for every penguin march over the winter season. He is one of our most talented painters as well, and has helped provide beautiful paintings to raise funds for conservation. Since Littlefoot was a contender in March of the Penguin Madness, he no longer is our youngest King Penguin. Jackson (“Jackie”), who recently turned one, is not biologically his sister, but she looks up to him as a little sister would. There are specific times of the year we see it more so, but she will follow him around, swim when he swims, and will also participate in penguin marches and behind the scenes tours just like Littlefoot.” – Kelsey Doughtery
How do you believe ambassador animals, like your penguin, contribute to conservation efforts?
“Many people have learned about Kokosanka, and thanks to her very popular profile on Instagram ‘Make Life Harder’, it became possible to raise awareness not only about Kokosanka but also about the problems that penguins have. There is still a lot to be done in this subject. It is important to educate about the threats and the impact of our daily lives on nature… not just the nature close to us. Kokosanka’s success has been linked to the launch of our foundation (https://www.facebook.com/LYNXfundacjazoogdansk), one of whose activities is supporting institutions working for nature conservation.” – Pawel Ciesielski
“Through our penguin walks, our social media, each encounter, and of course the March of the Penguin Madness competition, we have opportunities to introduce our penguins to the world. The more people can see them, see their personalities, get a more candid look into their lives, it creates a stronger emotional connection. It is that connection that inspires people to learn about penguins and be more likely to support penguin conservation. Many of the guests who come for our penguin walks, recognize and remember the penguins year after year. Littlefoot is always a show stopper at the penguin walks and takes his time going on the route to let all of his fans admire him. He will typically stop and give a few calls throughout the walk to show off his beautiful voice. As their caretakers, we love that our penguins bring so much happiness and that they can create these memories for our guests.” – Kelsey Doughtery
What are some ways people can help with penguin conservation efforts?
“There are small changes we can all make from wherever we are in the world. Warming water and air temperatures is a universal threat to penguins, so not allowing your car to idle will reduce carbon emissions. Another large threat to penguins is the fishing industry, so opting for sustainably sourced seafood is relatively simple way to support penguin conservation. These main threats together are reducing the abundance of penguins’ favorite fish. This is contributing to starvation or penguins spending
more time out at sea fishing increasing their risk of predation. Penguins are also at risk of being by-catch in fishing nets. Additionally, plastic waste is found at all reaches and depths around the world. Some animals confuse it for prey, others ingest it as it breaks down into microplastics, so reducing or eliminating single use plastic is another way to help not just penguins, but all wildlife. Finally, support your local AZA accredited facility because by simply purchasing a ticket or a membership, you support conservation projects, including AZA SAFE African Penguin or the Punta San Juan Program.” –
Kelsey Doughtery
What are some ways your facility (zoo, aquarium, rehabilitation center, etc.) contributes to conservation efforts?
“We financially supported SANCOOB, and last year, we also donated funds to HUTAN
and collect money for Cheetah Conservaion Fund.” – Pawel Ciesielski
“The Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium partners with a variety of conservation
organizations around the world. Staff will even go and support these organizations
hands on, assisting them with field work and other various projects. The Black Mamba
Anti-Poaching Unit, Polar Bear International, Trumpeter Swan breed and release
program, and the Marine Mammal Center are just some of the organizations and
causes staff has been able to get hands-on experience with and support.
The KCZoo is partnering with other AZA Zoos to aid in keeping the designation of Punta
San Juan as a Marine Reserve under the Peruvian Protected Areas System and
securing the future of the Humboldt penguin in Punta San Juan. The Center for
Resource Sustainability (a Peruvian NGO) strives to secure the funding necessary to
maintain adequate personnel to continue the collection of biological data and protection
of Humboldt penguins. The KCZoo has joined forces with the St. Louis Zoo and the
Brookfield Zoo to carry on the very important Penguin Census and the teaching the
sustainable harvesting of guano practices.
In addition, a portion of proceeds from each ticket and each membership goes to
supporting conservation partners such as the Red Panda Network, Trumpeter Swan
Society, and 96 Elephants Wildlife Society.
KCZA also supports 12 different AZA SAFE programs including Sea Turtle, Gorilla, and
North American Song Bird SAFE. AZA’s SAFE program provides additional focus in the
forms of funding and research for the conservation of endangered species.
Finally, KCZA also is a contributing partner with AZA’s Wildlife Trafficking Alliance. The
WTA is a program that is aimed at combating the illegal pet trade and reducing the
selling and trading of illegally made animal based products such as ivory.” – Kelsey
Doughtery
It is very clear these penguin ambassadors have done a wonderful job representing
penguins everywhere with their amazing personalities. Even though it has been a year
since 2024’s MTOPM, both Koko and Littlefoot still appear to be educating the public on
penguin conservation.
Thank you so much to Pawel Ciesielski, Kelsey Doughtery, the Zoo Gdańsk, the Kansas
City Zoo, and everyone who helps care for Kokosanka and Littlefoot.
From everyone here at Penguins International, we wish you all the best!
