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

[Dystopic]

liberal democrat socialist penguins ...

[Pennsanic]

LOL!

Very sweet story.

[Tommygun264]

I hear their enclosure is simply fabulous/

[klandish]

And they squabble over where to place the seaweed.

[SurrealPumpkin]

They serve the best dinner in town.

[merger]

Awww!

[wantthetruth]

I could really care less...but this argument can be used both ways. If people are going to use simple biology to prove a point, then don't get mad next time someone pees on a public sidewalk...dogs do it. Don't get angry at someone for eating a cheeseburger...wolves eat cows too. Don't get angry at your spouse for cheating on you...many other animals don't have monogamous relationships.

[Disuberence]

This argument cannot be used both ways. In order for people to use this argument against gay people they'd have to agree that there is a biological cause for it. Once they admit that, the rest of their argument becomes null and void.

Peeing on the sidewalk is not normal behavior for humans. We've developed, you know, toilets, plumbing, etc. Btw, if you need to pee that bad, look for a bush.
Eating a cheeseburger, really?
Humans have developed monogamous relationships. Some animals also have monogamous relationships. Not all humans partake in monogamous relationships.

Thus ends our lesson in common sense.

[Warthog]

In Asia, where natural bodily functions are not viewed as some sort of prime evil, men standing on the side of the road relieving themselves are called 'shooting at rabbits'. Ah pragmatism.

[scottyknows]

Exactly. Homosexuality would not be considered normal behavior for species homo sapiens. Biologically, anyway.

[brklynivn]

Right, so behavior needs to be controlled by a select wealthy few (religious conservatives of course), and all others must fall in line regardless. Here in the US that would be the Republican Party. The Party of Freedom.

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

Look out Berlin, Fred Phelps and the freaks from Westboro Baptist are on Travelocity right now, booking their flights.

[antaeus]

So it's come to this? I am even jealous of European penguins?

[hilaritee]

if you enjoyed this article then you should check out "biological exuberance". it is an excellent book on homosexuality in the animal kingdom and historical attempts to suppress making public such behavior. i use it in my class all of the time to counter the "god argument" against homosexuality.

[scottyknows]

He puts us above even the angels in his creation, and sets us apart from animals.

[VioletDatura]

Who? Your imaginary friend?

[HotheadPaisen]

Oh, now I can understand why you have such a sense of superiority! You believe you're even above the 'angels'.

[jweider]

I guess we will have to wait and see if the chick learns to be gay from it's parents.

[hairyhuman]

That's humorous but everyone seems to forget about the statements of people saying how they are not gay anymore. interesting.

[HotheadPaisen]

Yeah, they SAY they're not Gay anymore...funny how many of them keep getting caught an Gay activity
Ted Haggard anyone?

[Jimtoday]

As in the human community, the penguin gay community is forced to find the compassion to give birth and raise those unwanted abandoned children whom the selfish disinterested anti-life heteros just discard. I suppose the Christian Right will soon organize a petition to have the young penguinchick removed from the "ungodly" gay penguin nest for fear of its eternal salvation!

Thank God this poor creature wasn't just left to rot and die by the "sanctified" straight penguins who failed to honor his life.

[klandish]

So many bad heterosexuals (we the Gay Angels forgive you your sins). ;)

[ruth606]

That is so adorie!

[Usama]

Another Huff's Poo article worth lining the catbox. If you take your guidance from animals, so be it. If you consider that God has something to say about how man live's his life, then follow God before its too late.

[Disuberence]

God is not real.

"If you consider that Cinderella has something to say about how man lives (why did you put an apostrophe here?) his life, then follow Cinderella before it's too late. Before the Fairy Godmother turns you into a pumpkin."

Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Put 'em together and what have you got
bippity-boppity-boo

Amen.

[Amalek]

But what if God made me gay?

[Dystopic]

you would be even more FAB than your pic suggests!

3 snaps Z formation

[mydwyf]

Then He truly would have made you in His own image. . .

[scottyknows]

You must be born again.

[hairyhuman]

Why would God condemn something that a person had no choice over?

[antaeus]

I love it! When it's convenient to use biological reproduction to slam gays, then we fail because we're not breeding. But when biology supports same-sex partnering, then we fail because we're _too_ biological.

It's just bias against gays, pure and simple. Can anyone, anywhere possibly doubt that?

[mydwyf]

But wait ! They are in ZOO !
Maybe what it really means is that Planet Earth is a zoo too !

[BlackWidowPilot]

Back in 1967 there was a married couple named Loving. Their marriage was *illegal* in sixteen (16) states, and the majority of Americans polled *opposed* their marriage many on the grounds of a heartfelt belief that the *Bible* condemned such unions.

Fed up with being harassed by police for no other crime than being a marriage comprised of a white man and a black woman, Richard Loving took his case to the Supreme Court.

That was 1967, and the Supreme Court ruled that those laws prohibiting inter-racial marriage were unconstitutional. The justices did so in direct defiance of popular opinion, and solely on the basis of the cold, hard facts of the case, and the content of our Constitution, and simple human decency.

Prior to Loving vs. Virginia, the woman I am now married to, the wonderful, elegant, amazing, talented *soulmate* that God has blessed me with, well, if it were 1967 our marriage would be *illegal* in sixteen states and the *majority* of Americans would think our marriage *wrong,* and many would no doubt assert that "the Bible says so!"

Being gay is an *orientation,* not a "lifestyle choice," and any first semester Psychology or Human Biology student knows this to be a scientific fact.

To continue to discriminate against the fundamental human right of consenting adults to marry while denying the actual facts of the matter is the height of intellectual dishonesty in the service of a morally bankrupt authoritarian political agenda.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[VioletDatura]

so... you're saying these penguins should have the right to wed?

nah, just joking - I get your very good point and agree.

[BlackWidowPilot]

Are you so sure you are in fact following God:

http://www.guerrillascholar.com/cogito/?p=78

Being gay is an *orientation* written into the human DNA, not a mere "lifestyle choice" and any first semester student of Psychology or Human Biology knows this to be a scientific fact.

And if you still want to argue the Scriptures, the minor to my Psychology degree program was *Religious Studies,* as I was preparing for entry into *seminary.*

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

PROTESTant

[LeeAlex]

Leland,

I agree -- marriage goes beyond religion to being a civil right that should be open to all. Already, here in California, we have gray areas because some gay couples have married and some have not. I personally know of one couple who wanted to and were delayed by the illness and death of one partner's mother. They weren't able to marry before Prop 8 passed and were devastated, along with mourning the mother who had taken her son's partner to her heart as a "son-in-love."

As a minister in training at this point, I am watching gay couples raise children, either one parent's biological child(ren) or adopted children. I am so happy to be part of their lives in some way, to watch the kids grow, to see the couples realize their own dreams of marriage and a family. All the tired arguments fall apart when you see their lives and families in action. They are families and/or a couple. Period.

[Amalek]

Pretty solid proof of the dangers of gay marriage I say.

Gay people like to go to zoos. The animals see this and they adopt human behavior. Do you need more proof that homosexuality is a learned behavior, and sanctioning gay marriage is going to turn millions of good children gay?

Where is PETA on this issue?

[minimalist syntax]

Not to mention destroying perfectly loving straight penguin families-- oh wait. It was a straight penguin family that abandoned its own chick.

[Dystopic]

PETA is in the monkey cage in a wide stance ...

[HotheadPaisen]

I'm pretty sure you're joking Amalek, but still need to point out that if sexuality were a learned behavior, how do we explain that probably 99% of Gays and Lesbians were raised in hetro households?

[LiberalBuzz]

Geez I LOVE the comments in this thread.Some of the funniest in a very long time.

But what I really loved about this story was how the zookeepers immediately thought of the gay couple raising the abandoned chick. Anyone know how many gay couples have taken on the least of those children in need?

You'd be surprised.

[antaeus]

What's next? Penguin-on-flamingo love?

[wantthetruth]

My dog humps stuffed animals...How should I label my dog?

[LiberalBuzz]

Weird?

Desperately in need of getting l a i d?

[Amalek]

I did the same thing when I was 14, but later discovered women. Take your dog to a good dog beach.

[Dystopic]

that makes you a Plushie ...

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

I believe the term you're looking for is Furrie (fur-ee).

[Dystopic]

Humpy. Like my mom's little bichon ... terrorizes the stuffed animals, boxes, chairs, legs...

[brklynivn]

In need of a better owner?

[SKOC211]

But...wait.....NO......I thought homosexuality was a choice....against God.....I mean......could Sarah Palin really be wrong!?

[NoblesseOblige]

Could Sarah and her ilk be right about ANYTHING? I don't think so.

[Derek Lall]

this is such a sweet story, and it just shows all the haters that homosexaulity is natuarlly occuring in the animal world, and since humans are a species of animal it is also naturally occuring in us.

[wantthetruth]

I could care less if people are homosexual...but your argument is a little odd. Animals do many things that we accept as natural, such as killing each other, yet we don't accept this when humans engage in the same behavior.

[HotheadPaisen]

Sure we do. Animals kill each other for pretty cut and dry biological reasons. Humans do it for fun and profit, and it is widely accepted under the guise of death penalty, wars of choice, etc.