Two Gay Penguins And A Chick: German Zoo Pair Raising Baby

BERLIN — A German zoo says a pair of gay male penguins are raising a chick from an egg abandoned by its parents.

Bremerhaven zoo veterinarian Joachim Schoene says the egg was placed in the male penguins' nest after its parents rejected it in late April. The males incubated it for some 30 days before it hatched and have continued to care for it. The chick's gender is not yet known.

Schoene said the male birds, named Z and Vielpunkt, are one of three same-sex pairs among the zoo's 20 Humboldt penguins that have attempted to mate.

Homosexual behavior has been documented in many animal species.

The zoo said in a statement on its Web site Thursday that "sex and coupling in our world don't always have something to do with reproduction."

Comments

[sturzl]

06:11 PM on 06/16/2009

I can see Fred Phelps protesting now. He'll be carrying a sign that say "God Hates Eggs!"

[zizyphus]

01:50 PM on 06/09/2009

"Biological Exuberance" by Bruce Bagemihl was all about gay animals. Scientists observed this for years, just decided not to mention it.

[inorbit]

10:53 AM on 06/09/2009

Perhaps this is Nature's way of taking care of the abandoned young?

I think it works for humans, too. Many gay couples have adopted children.

Interesting, eh?

[Rob Michael]

02:59 AM on 06/08/2009

the chick will probably grow up to be a peacock,

[mlaiuppa]

04:21 PM on 06/07/2009

Penguins pair up. If there aren't enough of both sexes to make even pairs, then you have same sex pairs. It's not for sex. It's for chick rearing. Both sexes contribute to raising young so it doesn't really matter. A male pair at the N.Y. zoo raised an abandoned egg too. There's a book about it. "And Tango makes three". Really lovely book. Has made the ALA banned books list every year since publication.

[hamptonsdude]

11:21 AM on 06/07/2009

Thank heavens, these penguins don't live near Ms. Palin.

I can imagine Sarah Palin on a chopper shooting at these poor gay penguins.

[posttheist]

12:00 PM on 06/08/2009

...And perhaps giving a Press Conference while one is being shoved down a processing machine!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/20/sarah-palin-holds-news-co_n_145375.html

[mom792]

08:40 AM on 06/09/2009

LMAO

[dems08]

11:14 AM on 06/07/2009

The gay penguins need praying over and counseling to rid themselves of the gay demon.

[Cambridge9]

11:18 AM on 06/07/2009

If the prayers of the religious community in the human race don't work - why do you think it would work in the animal world?

[Tagrid]

12:07 PM on 06/07/2009

Please tell me you're not seriously asking that question! LOL

[JanPoore]

06:08 PM on 06/07/2009

OMG - Lighten Up!!!!! This is a cute story.

[Tabasco]

11:07 AM on 06/07/2009

Easy. The penguin couple must have seen a portion of a Harry Potter movie from a visitor's I-Pod, got posessed by gay penguin demons and are now living contrary to God's laws.

And with a current shortage of penguin exorcists, well.

[fictioneer]

10:36 AM on 06/07/2009

Adorable.

[ohbeehave]

08:55 AM on 06/07/2009

Well thank heavens it's not a zoo in Arkansas where it would be ILLEGAL!

[HotheadPaisen]

11:33 AM on 06/07/2009

Or Florida! They'd rather see the egg dashed on the rocks then raised by two guys in tuxedos!

[bushlies]

02:36 PM on 06/07/2009

ROTFLMAO!

[BannedInBoston]

09:53 PM on 06/06/2009

There you go. Legalize gay marriage NOW! (Including for penguins.)

[atexasdem]

07:13 PM on 06/06/2009

Maybe their not gay but just really really close friends. Somehow the picture of two male penguins having sex just can't get into my head. I'm just not that imaginative I guess.

[VivaZapata]

06:57 AM on 06/07/2009

"Maybe they're not gay...." The story states that they and two other gay couples have copulated at that zoo and that other species do too.

[StephenJK]

07:19 AM on 06/07/2009

I don't think "gay" animal couples "copulate". They exhibit behavior that heterosexual couples do. We're the only species where homosexuals copulate as far as I know.

[Tagrid]

12:11 PM on 06/07/2009

Actually, it doesn't say they "copulated" - it says they "attempted to mate." It didn't give details - so don't make assumptions.

[HotheadPaisen]

11:47 AM on 06/07/2009

atexasdem I'm a Fan of atexasdem I'm a fan of this user permalink
"Maybe their not gay but just really really close friends. "

Hmmmm... 'just really close friends'...been hearing that said about 'spinsters' and older gentlemen all my life. Psssst- they're GAY!
Texasdem, you don't have to get pictures of male penguins (or any other species) into your head, as being Gay is much more than sexual practices.

[wordvarc]

05:06 PM on 06/06/2009

Oh come on. What twisted projection by the author.

Male penguins cover the eggs in the wild for long periods of time while their mate gets food. If the mate gets eaten by Orca and doesn't return, the male raise the chick.

A better story is why a penguin's feet don't freeze!

[youvegot2bekidding]

08:22 PM on 06/06/2009

Did you read the part about the 3 pairs of male birds attempting to mate?

[StephenJK]

07:20 AM on 06/07/2009

Attempting is NOT copulating. They try, they fail, they stop. End of story.

[Tagrid]

12:58 PM on 06/07/2009

The author is just reporting what the zoo officials stated. I would think the zoo's experts are in a better position than you are to determine the sexual orientation of 3 pairs of "gay" penguins.

Everyone assumes that being gay has to do with how they perform sex, but being defined as gay is much more than sex - it's how they live their ilves. This holds true for humans as well as other animal species. These particular penguins have chosen to pair up, and are not seeking out other partners - so they're determined to be "gay." Deal with it.

[wordvarc]

04:32 PM on 06/07/2009

What a joke!

[mydwyf]

12:05 PM on 06/08/2009

Creatures contained in zoos do all kinds of strange things.
Planet Earth is a sophisticated zoo.

[nodonjuan]

04:47 PM on 06/06/2009

Carrie Prejean is asking Trump to give one of them breast implants. Then they will at least appear "normal"

[DSOTM]

04:22 PM on 06/06/2009

New show on Animal Planet.

Queer Beaks For The Straight Bird.