I’ll remember the strength that you gave me. I’ll remember…
It breaks my heart to report that famous penguin, Sphen, died on Thursday, August 22, at the Sea Life Aquarium in Australia. He was almost 12-years-old.
Sphen and his partner, Magic, gained a strong following as a celebrity gentoo penguin power couple when they presumably entered into a same-sex relationship in 2018. Although researchers said this is normal behavior in gentoo penguins, the internet took it, ran with it and made the penguins world renowned.
The loving couple even co-parented two baby penguins – Lara in 2018 and Clancy 2020.
This is where the story gets particularly heartbreaking. The NY Post reports that staff at the Sea Life Aquarium allowed Magic to see Sphen’s body after he had passed away. The source goes on to state that Magic started doing a mourning type of “singing,” which ended up leading a chorus of saddened penguins who were visibly and vocally feeling the loss.
Am I going to vomit? Not yet. Am I going to cry? …Maybe. I’ve never seen or heard of these penguins before, but the story is going viral, and the world is grieving for the loss of Sphen the penguin. I’m a vet technician, so I feel a particular connection to this story.
May Magic, Lara and Clancy find peace during this difficult time.
Source: The NY Post