Penguin hand-reared by keeper from birth could be crowned king of the world
Waddling past the glistening water of the penguin enclosure to find a sunny spot to warm his feathers, Spike tilts his yellow beak as he listens to the birdsong filling the air.
This King penguin is apparently usually the star of the show and can’t wait to steal the spotlight, but today he shuns the cameras and the small audience gathering.
It would seem even celebrity penguins can have an off day.
Then again, a diva moment is only to be expected when you’re the world’s biggest star, or at least could be by the end of the week.
For Spike has officially made it big in the penguin kingdom and is in the last two finalists vying to be crowned the most popular penguin in the world. Now he just needs to beat a 15-year-old from Hawaii... and clearly Spike has all the swagger needed to win.
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Spike with Al Keen“Normally if you try to film any of the other penguins he gets in the way,” says head keeper Al Keen.
“Pretty much every photo we’ve got of the penguins over the last 15 years, Spike is front and centre.”
But not today, because Spike is moulting - shedding his feathers - a once a year occurrence that can leave even the friendliest birds feeling a bit camera shy.
“He’s probably feeling a bit itchy and a bit fed up at the moment,” says Al.
It’s a relief to hear that he’ll be back to his normal self anytime soon, although it’s a shame not to see his mischievous antics today at his home in Birdland, a wildlife park in Gloucestershire.
Home to 900 acres of stunning wetlands and more than 130 species of exotic birds including flamingos and pelicans, Spike is about to eclipse the lot.
Not that he’s any stranger to fame of course. And he definitely doesn’t get starstruck.
Spike meets Sir David Attenborough“He’s very confident and loves to be the first one to see what’s going on if there’s a camera,” Al laughs.
“When Sir David Attenborough came to visit, all the penguins went up to him but Spike was the confident one, taking food out of his hand.
“It was a little bit embarrassing but he even pooped on him,” Al laughs. “It didn’t bother Sir David who’s obviously been pooped on by a lot of animals over time - he just carried on.
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As well as meeting the legend that is Sir David, Spike has been enjoying a sparkling showbiz career that would make other reality stars green with envy.
He loves to steal the spotlight, appearing on TV programmes like Penguins Make You Laugh out Loud, Junior Vets and Officially Amazing, as well as posing for photoshoots in books, magazines and encyclopaedias.
When he’s not growing his new feathers, Spike likes to show off his playful side, sliding around on his tummy during the cold winter months and incubating snowballs because he thinks they are baby chicks waiting to hatch.
Spike has his eye on the prize in competition (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)Spike has even chosen the jokes on the back of the McVities Penguin wrappers - he was the only penguin interested in waddling around and looking at the jokes placed around the penguin enclosure on April Fools Day.
His choice?
“How does a penguin build its house?”
“Igloos it together.”
But despite his celebrity status, Al thinks it’s Spike’s humble beginnings that have made him the super friendly penguin he is today.
Spike has been reared by hand by his human ‘dad’ right here in this zoo, after his own parents abandoned him at birth.
“He hatched here in June 2007 in an incubator,” Al reminisces. “I hand reared him from birth so I’m like his human dad. I used to speak to him in the incubator so he recognises my voice.”
When it comes to King Penguins, both parents usually share hatching and rearing duties but Spike’s dad Frank and mum Beryl struggled, meaning keepers had to step in.
Al says rearing him by hand means the 15-year-old will always have a special place in his heart and is ‘like a foster brother’ to his own children who are just nine and five years old.
And he has the expensive tastes you’d expect of a celebrity, too.
Spike was born at raised at Birdland (SWNS)The picky penguins, who eat what they can get in the wild of the Antarctic, are fed herring at Birdland - a fish that doesn’t come cheap.
“In the wild they eat all sorts of fish but they’re quite fussy here,” Al explains. “It’s mainly herring every day which we supplement with vitamin tablets to balance what they’re not getting. We also hold penguin experience slots so the public can help feed the penguins, so the penguins definitely get spoiled.”
Everyone here has fingers (and flippers) crossed that Spike could win The March of the Penguins Madness - the worldwide competition run by charity Penguin International - and be named the most popular penguin in the world when the results are announced later this week.
“He was one of 32 nominees from 28 zoos around the world and has already sailed through the knockout stages,” Al says proudly as he recounts how Spike has already seen off competition from penguins in Australia, America and Ireland.
“He’s in the final two along with another penguin called Mai from Hawaii, but either way he’s already Europe’s most popular penguin!
“Spike winning might also raise awareness and funds for the work the charity is doing in the wild,” Al adds. “Out of 18 species of penguins, 14 of them are in massive trouble.
“Not many penguins can say they have more than 16,000 friends on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He’s got more followers than all the staff here combined - he’s definitely the most popular bird here. What can I say, he’s just a really cool penguin.”
* You can follow Spike on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and watch Penguin webcam at Birdland 24 hours a day throughout the year.
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