Famous puffin bids farewell

Tóti, donning the Icelandic football shirt he acquired during the …

Tóti, donning the Icelandic football shirt he acquired during the UEFA EURO 2016 in France. Photo/Sæheimar aquarium

A famous puffin has died at the age of seven, according to the Sæheimar aquarium in Vestmannaeyjar islands. This was announced on the aquarium’s Facebook page. The puffin’s name was Tóti.

Injured pufflings are frequently brought to the aquarium, where they receive care. If the recovery is slow, releasing them back to their natural habitat is not desirable, so they spend the rest of their days at the aquarium.

Tóti was one of those pufflings, and apparently one that melted many a heart among all those who came to admire him. His admirers came from all over the world and would frequently leave comments about him on the travel website Trip Advisor. There, he is often called “the highlight of the visit to the aquarium.”

Unlike the average puffin, Tóti  had a wardrobe, which included several football shirts. The football connection stems from the fact that the day Tóti was brought into the museum, a football match took place on Heimaey island, where the aquarium is located. A player with the nickname Tóti scored the winning goal for the islanders, and the puffin was subsequently named in his honor.

Tóti was prominent on the aquarium’s Facebook page this summer, where he, for example, gave the Vestmannaeyjar islands’ handball team good advice prior to an important game. That may have been his swan song.

In a Facebook post, the Sæheimar aquarium staff bemoans the loss of Tóti and states, “Tóti was a small puffin with a large heart who brought joy to everyone who met him.”

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