mikey3000
Nov 8, 2011, 10:22 AM
Destiny calling: 'Gay' African penguins Buddy and Pedro to be split up so they can breed with females
By Lydia Warren and Rachel Quigley
Last updated at 10:39 PM on 7th November 2011
Their love story is almost over and the couple may only have days left before they are wrenched from each other's embrace.
Buddy and Pedro, the apparently gay African penguins at Toronto Zoo, are going to be forceably separated by zoo keepers.
After they were seen touching each other, leaving together every night and showing signs of mating behaviour, the zoo decided they had to put a stop to it because both penguins have a duty to do.
According to the Toronto Star, both have top-notch genes so the zoo intends to separate them from each other and pair them with females for breeding.
Given that African penguins are endangered, the move falls within a species survival plan among zoos.
Buddy, 20, and Pedro, 10, who were both bred in captivity came to Toronto Zoo from the U.S. in May and immediately formed a connection.
One zoo keeper told the Star: 'They do courtship and mating behaviours that females and males would do, and they pair off together every night.'
Those behaviours include making a braying sound and defending their territory.
Though the words gay or straight aren't generally used in 'zoo speak', their relationship is a hot topic among zoo staff.
'This is all new for us,' said another keeper, pointing out that the zoo hasn’t had African penguins on display since 1993.
'It’s a complicated issue, but they seem to be in a loving relationship of some sort,' says Joe Torzsok, chair of the Toronto zoo board.
Their relationship, referred to as ‘pair bonding’ by the zoo, began in Ohio and continued after they arrived in Canada.
During the day, the zoo’s 12 penguins – six male and six female – swim and play together in their enclosure, which includes a pool with underwater windows for the public to view.
Flying solo: Keepers plan on separating the duo, who swim with the zoo's 10 other penguins in their enclosure (pictured) each day, to mate with females
Buddy and Pedro are not the first gay penguin couple to grace the world’s zoos.
As part of an experiment in 2009, two male chinstrap penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo, incubated an egg together and raised the chick, named Tango, after she hatched.
A children’s book, entitled 'And Tango Makes Three', about the chick and her parents, Roy and Silo, became a bestseller.
Zoos in Japan, Germany and Sea World Orlando have also noted 'pair bonding' among penguins.
More than feathered friends: Research from the University of California, Berkeley has found that birds can form same-sex relationships for life
Buddy and Pedro’s relationship follows research from the University of California, Berkeley in April, which found birds can form gay relationships for life.
Scientists found that when raised in same-sex groups, more than half the birds paired up together.
When females were then brought into the male group, five out of eight pairs of males ignored them and stuck with their male partner.
Lead author Dr Julie Elie said: 'Relationships in animals can be more complicated than just a male and a female who meet and reproduce.
'My observations led me to this surprising result: same-sex individuals would also interact like male-female pairs.'
Other species of animals exhibit homosexual tendencies. Giraffes, dolphins and monkeys are known to form same.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058779/Destiny-calling-Gay-African-penguins-Buddy-Pedro-split-breed-females.html#ixzz1d7xiObJa
By Lydia Warren and Rachel Quigley
Last updated at 10:39 PM on 7th November 2011
Their love story is almost over and the couple may only have days left before they are wrenched from each other's embrace.
Buddy and Pedro, the apparently gay African penguins at Toronto Zoo, are going to be forceably separated by zoo keepers.
After they were seen touching each other, leaving together every night and showing signs of mating behaviour, the zoo decided they had to put a stop to it because both penguins have a duty to do.
According to the Toronto Star, both have top-notch genes so the zoo intends to separate them from each other and pair them with females for breeding.
Given that African penguins are endangered, the move falls within a species survival plan among zoos.
Buddy, 20, and Pedro, 10, who were both bred in captivity came to Toronto Zoo from the U.S. in May and immediately formed a connection.
One zoo keeper told the Star: 'They do courtship and mating behaviours that females and males would do, and they pair off together every night.'
Those behaviours include making a braying sound and defending their territory.
Though the words gay or straight aren't generally used in 'zoo speak', their relationship is a hot topic among zoo staff.
'This is all new for us,' said another keeper, pointing out that the zoo hasn’t had African penguins on display since 1993.
'It’s a complicated issue, but they seem to be in a loving relationship of some sort,' says Joe Torzsok, chair of the Toronto zoo board.
Their relationship, referred to as ‘pair bonding’ by the zoo, began in Ohio and continued after they arrived in Canada.
During the day, the zoo’s 12 penguins – six male and six female – swim and play together in their enclosure, which includes a pool with underwater windows for the public to view.
Flying solo: Keepers plan on separating the duo, who swim with the zoo's 10 other penguins in their enclosure (pictured) each day, to mate with females
Buddy and Pedro are not the first gay penguin couple to grace the world’s zoos.
As part of an experiment in 2009, two male chinstrap penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo, incubated an egg together and raised the chick, named Tango, after she hatched.
A children’s book, entitled 'And Tango Makes Three', about the chick and her parents, Roy and Silo, became a bestseller.
Zoos in Japan, Germany and Sea World Orlando have also noted 'pair bonding' among penguins.
More than feathered friends: Research from the University of California, Berkeley has found that birds can form same-sex relationships for life
Buddy and Pedro’s relationship follows research from the University of California, Berkeley in April, which found birds can form gay relationships for life.
Scientists found that when raised in same-sex groups, more than half the birds paired up together.
When females were then brought into the male group, five out of eight pairs of males ignored them and stuck with their male partner.
Lead author Dr Julie Elie said: 'Relationships in animals can be more complicated than just a male and a female who meet and reproduce.
'My observations led me to this surprising result: same-sex individuals would also interact like male-female pairs.'
Other species of animals exhibit homosexual tendencies. Giraffes, dolphins and monkeys are known to form same.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058779/Destiny-calling-Gay-African-penguins-Buddy-Pedro-split-breed-females.html#ixzz1d7xiObJa