Edinburgh Zoo has welcomed a new gentoo penguin chick, naming it after Scotland and Aston Villa captain John McGinn in recognition of his historic World Cup goal. The chick, which hatched on April 27, is the offspring of parents Harris and Valerie, and is one of several gentoo and Northern rockhopper chicks born during a successful breeding season at Penguins Rock.
Honouring a Historic Goal
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the wildlife conservation charity that operates the zoo, announced the naming ahead of Scotland's final Group C match against Brazil in Miami on Wednesday. John McGinn scored Scotland's first World Cup goal in 28 years during a 1-0 victory over Haiti, before the team suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Morocco.
Zoo keeper Alison MacLean explained: "After John McGinn scored Scotland's first World Cup goal for 28 years we wanted to honour his achievement. We noticed one of our gentoo penguin chicks has a strong left flipper and knew we had to name them after the man himself."
A Special Armband
Keepers at Penguins Rock have given the chick a blue and white armband, resembling a Scotland strip, to help him stand out among the colony of over 150 penguins. MacLean added: "While our McGinn won't be scoring goals anytime soon, we hope visitors will enjoy seeing the curious chick grow up. Who knows, they might just get a call from Steve Clarke for the 2030 squad."
Fastest Swimmers
Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimmers of all penguin species, capable of reaching speeds up to 22 miles per hour. They are native to the islands and coasts of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic region. John McGinn, 31, began his career at St Mirren and Hibernian before captaining Aston Villa to Europa League success in May.
