Meme Wars and Tattoos: How World's Rarest Penguin Became Bird of the Year

wellington - Meme wars and tattoo campaigns preceded the naming of a new Bird of the Year in New Zealand. Find out how the hoiho penguin, also known as the yellow-eyed penguin, claimed the title and why it's so special.

Meme wars and tattoo campaigns preceded the announcement of a new Bird of the Year in New Zealand. This year, the title goes to the hoiho, also known as the yellow-eyed penguin. To learn how this bird won and why it's so significant, visit telegraph.co.uk.

Noisy, smelly, shy – these don't sound like qualities worthy of a bird deserving such a title, but the hoiho is just that. Its name means 'noisy shouter' in Maori, the language of New Zealand's first inhabitants. The hoiho is considered the rarest penguin in the world, found only on the South and Chatham Islands and the subantarctic islands south of the country. Moreover, the population of yellow-eyed penguins has dangerously declined by 78% in the past fifteen years.

Nicola Toki, the CEO of the organizing organization, finds the victory for the hoiho terrific. 'This spotlight could not have come at a better time. This iconic penguin is disappearing from the mainland of Aotearoa,' she references, using the Maori name for New Zealand.

Toki mentions that hoihos are drowning in nets at sea and struggling to find enough food. Campaign leader Charlie Buchan sees the win raising awareness for the bird. 'But what we truly hope for is that it leads to tangible support.'

More than 50,000 people voted in this year's election, which is 300,000 fewer than last year. British talk show host John Oliver led a successful and humorous campaign for the pūteketeke last year, a 'strange bird' that eats and regurgitates its own feathers, resulting in an extraordinary number of votes.

This year's election was also intense, albeit with fewer participants. The campaign for the yellow-eyed penguin was led by a collective of conservation organizations, a museum, a brewery, and a local rugby team. There was also a campaign for the karure, a small 'gothic' black robin that is only found on the Chatham Islands, supported by a student association at Victoria University of Wellington.

This led to a clash on campus as the student newspaper campaigned for the kororā, also known as the little blue penguin. This rivalry sparked a meme war, with students dressing up in bird costumes and getting tattoos of the competing birds. The final victory went to the kororā, supported by the city council and the local zoo. However, it was the karure that came second in the actual election, after the hoiho and before the kororā.

Although the competition was fierce, it was all done in good spirits. The battle had a humorous undertone, resembling the tactics of professional wrestling. Campaign leader Emily Bull emphasizes this camaraderie. 'Sometimes people want to post things similar to yours, and they always message you asking, 'Is it okay if I post this?' It's a really fun community. It's very healthy.'