By Lorna Moffat, Experienced Animal Keeper at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo

When you hear of a military promotion in the news, you would instantly think of a human being promoted up the ranks, or even a military working animal such as a horse or a dog. However, Nils Olav is not a human, but a king penguin that resides in Edinburgh Zoo and is part of the Norwegian Kings Guard. To us (his keepers/loyal servants), he is just Nils, a 21-year-old flirty, friendly and sprat- adoring king penguin, who shares his home with four other male king penguins, over 100 gentoo penguins and 22 Northern rockhopper penguins.

However, to the Norwegian Military, he is “Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands and Official Mascot of the Kings Guard of Norway”. His story starts back in the 1961, when the Norwegian Military visited Edinburgh for the annual Royal Military Tattoo that takes place every August at Edinburgh Castle. Whilst over here, a young Lieutenant named Nils Egelien visited the zoo and was instantly taken in by how regal the king penguins were, especially when they were ‘marching’ around their enclosure. In 1972, they visited again, and (the then-promoted) Commander Nils decided to adopt one of the penguins as their mascot and this penguin was thereby named Nils Olav: “Nils”, after Nils Egelien himself, and “Olav” after both Olav Siggerud, a contingent commander of His Majesty’s Kings Guard in 1972, and King Harald Olav V.
In 1982, they visited again, and promoted Nils Olav to Commander, followed by Sergent (1987), Regimental Sergent Major (1993), Honourable Regimental Sergent (2001) and Colonel-in-Chief in 2005. After his promotion in 2005 to Colonel-in-Chief, the zoo was presented with a four-foot tall, bronze statue of Nils (the penguin posing with his military badge) which is twinned with the same statue at the Kings Guard compound at Huseby Leir, Oslo.
13 years later, the Norwegian Kings Guard visited the zoo again, and, to everyone’s surprise they were there to promote Nils Olav to SIR Nils Olav III, Colonel-in-Chief of the Kings Guard of Norway. This king penguin would be the third to take on the royal duties, with the previous two having passed away over the years from old age. On the day, a six-year-old Nils came out the enclosure and walked up to his statue where he was knighted with a sword and presented with his knighthood badge, which slipped on top of his flipper-band. To be promoted to such a high title, this promotion had to be approved by King Harald V of Norway himself!

In 2013, they once again visited to promote Sir Nils to Brigadier Sir Nils Olav III and Baron of the Bouvet Islands (a Norwegian Antarctic territory home to Macaroni, Adelie and Chinstrap penguins).

Fast forward to August 2023, and the excitement of another promotion was looming. He worked hard to prepare for the big day, with keepers training him to get into the routine of coming out of the enclosure gate in the morning, walking up to his bronze statue and then returning down the path back into the enclosure. Of course, there was something in it for him each morning and he knew it – a plentiful supply of tasty sprats! However, he is a very well-behaved boy and loves any form of attention, so I think he was just enjoying all the fuss!

The 21st of August 2023 began like any other day throughout August. As before, he came out the enclosure and walked up to his bronze statue – only this time he was met with a brass band playing, the Norwegian Kings Guard standing to attention, lots of media and cameras, as well as excited zoo staff waiting to see his shining moment.

Upon arriving at his bronze statue, he was thereby promoted to Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, and the Official Mascot of the Kings Guard of Norway.

For now, he holds the position of the third highest rank in the Norwegian Army, and now outranks Major Nils Egelien whom started this wonderful story all those years ago. As if he hasn’t achieved it all, he has also continued to beat the Guiness World Record at being the highest ranking penguin (and once again he was presented with ANOTHER certificate in October last year).

Links with Norway did not actually start in the 1960s, but back in 1913 when the Norwegian fishing fleet Christian Salvesen dropped off the first king penguins to the Zoo and Edinburgh was then the first zoo in the world to captive hatch a king penguin chick in 1919 (aptly named Baby).
Nils (the penguin) was hand-reared at Whipsnade Zoo in England in 2002, before being transported to Edinburgh in 2004 where he is very keeper orientated and will follow us around the enclosure.

I have known him since he was six years old, and he is now approaching 22 years old (but you would never think it as he is still very spritely!) which is bizarre to have known him as simply Dopey (his nickname when he was a youngster), Sir Nils Olav, Brigadier Nils Olav III, and Major General Sir Nils Olav III. He is a very special penguin – not just because he is part of the military and a ‘celebrity’, but because of his charismatic personality and having him greet you every morning by singing to you makes you realise being a zookeeper is a very special job!