An African penguin is sporting the new name of "Hope," thanks to a contest winner with a knack for composing lyrics.
Nicole Souza penned a song about penguins, and submitted it to the Vancouver Aquarium. The aquarium had seven new African penguins and decided to name each one after a B.C. town.
The winners were Hope, Lillooet, Tofino, Nelson, Steveston, Sechelt and Salt Spring. Each winner had submitted some form of art work, from poetry to video submissions, to win over the judges.
Souza's entry is a song called We are Little Penguins, sung to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot:
"We are little penguins, in the sea
We can’t fly, but we swim so free!
Small, cute and fluffy, yes are we,
Watch us waddle as funny as can be.
African penguins, black and white,
You’ll find us on the beach, oh what a sight!
Not enough fish, yes that’s our plight,
Won’t you help us shed some light?"
But "Hope" isn't just named after the town.
Souza also wrote about the penguins being endangered, and her wish that "Hope the Penguin" become an ambassador for its species, encouraging people to learn about ways they can help protect them, such as through buying sustainable seafood.
The Vancouver Aquarium released the names of the winners earlier this week.
There were more than 600 entries in the contest, which for one-month.
The other winners were Krista Bratton (Tofino), Winnie Kwok (Steveston), Miriam Moysey (Lillooet), Diana Luong (Sechelt) Nelmaire Alberts Nurhan Uludag (Nelson) and Aris Murray (Salt Spring).
Souza and the other six winners will receive a one-year membership to the Vancouver Aquarium, and she will get to take three people along with her on an up close and personal visit with the penguins.
The Vancouver Aquarium has recently added its penguin exhibit, Penguin Point. To learn more or watch the live cam at the exhibit, visit www.vanaqua.org.
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