We all have heard the slogan Kindness is Contagious – but after seeing same-sex couples successfully (and unproblematically) raise children, is Gay Parenting spreading like wildfire too? Even amongst animals? Well these four penguins based in Australia are fully embracing gay parenting.
Two pairs of male Gentoo Penguins have taken the plunge to partner up for the nesting season at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium. Tiger and Branson and Jones and Klaus apparently decided that hens (a female penguin) just weren’t for them so they decided to court each other and start their own families.
Gay Penguins! 🐧
Did we get your attention? Two pairs of male Gentoo Penguins have become foster dads at @melbaquarium.
Although they can't lay an egg, the same-sex couples can be doting dads to a fostered egg and share parenting roles, like collecting rocks and incubating bub. pic.twitter.com/tTZR94aKdK
— 10 News First Melbourne (@10NewsFirstMelb) August 18, 2021
Tanith Davis, the lead bird keeper at the Melbourne Aquarium, told the Australian Associated Press that same-sex coupling amongst the penguins isn’t uncommon. While the male penguins obviously can’t lay their own eggs, the aquarium will foster eggs to the same-sex penguin couples for them to incubate. The male-male couple will share in parental responsibilities and nesting duties. Davis says that the aquarium has had many same-sex couples in its breeding history and they have all been doting parents. Davis also stated:
“Same-sex penguin pairs will court each other and incubate an egg exactly the same way as a male-female pair…
As male-male pairs can’t lay their own eggs, we will sometimes foster an egg to them from another pair…
Sea Life Melbourne has had many same-sex couples in our breeding history, and they have been doting parents”.
According to a 2019 study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, there are more than 1,500 different species that participate in same-sex partnerships. I mean, I guess there is simply no denying it, the heart wants what the heart wants.
Source: The Australian Associated Press , The Hill