Spike the penguin crowned best in the world - who is the celebrity penguin with over 17k followers?

A celebrity penguin from the UK with over 17,000 social media followers has been crowned the most popular flightless bird in the world. The beloved penguin gained the most votes in a competition held by charity Penguins International.

The King Penguin, known as ‘Spike’ , made it to the final of the competition where he faced off against an African penguin called Mai from the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Hawaii.

Spike was hatched at the Birdland centre in the Cotswolds in 2007 and has been cared for by humans since his mother and father abandoned him. The feathery bird has been featured in David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities along with shows Penguins Make You Laugh Out Loud, Junior Vets and Escape to the Country.

Birdland’s head keeper Al Keen said: “For Spike to have made quite such a global impact is really incredible.”

“Spike has a real personality and we all have a fantastic bond with him, having raised him from just an egg.”

Despite Spike’s large following, the result of the competition was incredibly close, with Spike narrowly winning by 50.5% to Mai’s 49.5%. The Penguins Madness challenge competition was started by Penguins International to bring attention to the plight of wild penguins.