All good things must come to an end, even in the animal world. We hate to be the bearer of bad news but it has come to our attention that longtime Denver Zoo flamingo couple Freddie Mercury and Lance Bass have ended their relationship. According to 9news and the Zoo,
“Mating for life isn’t necessarily true for all birds, and our keepers have noticed that some birds in long-term relationships sometimes decide to move on and pair up with other birds.”
Related: Amsterdam Artis Zoo celebrates Pride Month
The birds broke up amicably in 2020 and went their separate ways, as usually happens in a breakup. Freddie, a 52 year old bright pink American flamingo – is already shacking up with his new love, a 14 year old female American flamingo. Age differences don’t really come into play in the animal kingdom. According to the zoo,
“Lommi has been around Freddie for nearly her entire life without any indication of a bond before, so keepers aren’t exactly sure why these two decided to pair up.”
Lommi saw her opening and went for it. You go girl, get your man. Or bird. Meanwhile, Lance – a 20 year old Chilean flamingo with lighter fighters – is loving his single, carefree, lifestyle at the moment. With a crop of 80 flamingos to choose from why settle down Lance! I am with you.
The zoo wants to make it clear that in the bird world, love is love, and the flamingoes are free to love whoever they want,
“Some birds are in male-female breeding pairs. Some birds are in same-sex bonded pairs. Some birds are mated pairs their whole lives, some will have multiple partners in their lifetime and others won’t have a mate at all. Our flock allows our birds to choose who they decide to form associations with and we’re happy to celebrate their pairings this month and every month. Happy Pride!”
Wow, even flamingos are dating more than I am. If that isn’t a wake-up call I don’t know what is!
Same-sex flamingo couple that have been together since 2014 at the Denver Zoo have broken up. The zoo says the break-up was “amicable”, and one member of the pair is now with a younger bird. Figures. pic.twitter.com/wXLl6l7StD
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) June 29, 2022
A flamingo break up is about the level of stress I can take right now.
— Reshma Gopaldas (@reshingbull) June 29, 2022
Sources: 9news
Aww, gay penguins. I hope they get back together or find happiness with other husbands.