Oh, those lovable gay penguins strike again!
We understand wanting to be fathers, but stealing babies from your lesbian neighbors?! That’s exactly what two gay penguins from Africa did, and the moment has since gone viral online. According to New York’s 4 NBC, Skipper and Ping are the same African penguins that stole an egg from a straight penguin couple last year. And now, they have stolen the nest of a lesbian couple.
Those in charge of the Dutch zoo DierenPark Amsersfoort posted the story on Facebook before reaching out to Dutch News. Zookeeper Sander Drost told the local news source that the penguins have since taken turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. But unfortunately, Drost believes the eggs are unfertilized and most likely won’t hatch. This is a repeat of last year’s situation when the gay penguins’ stolen egg did not bear a child. But, the penguins will most likely try again.
“Most penguin species are monogamous for life and typically breed once or twice a year,” said University of Minnesota professor Marlene Zuk, who teaches ecology, evolution, and behavior.
As NBC News reports, this isn’t the first time that a same-sex couple of penguins has tried to foster eggs and chicks. In 2018, a pair of gay Australian penguins raised a healthy baby chick. Then the ZSL London Zoo hosted a pride event in 2019 to honor its three same-sex penguin couples.
With all of that happening across the globe, Skipper and Ping don’t seem so strange. In fact, watching them trying to raise chicks is no surprise to anyone.
“After all, being a part of a pair and raising a chick is just deeply ingrained in being a penguin,” said Zuk.
Source: 4 NBC, Dutch News, NBC News,
