Toronto Zoo to split "gay" penguin couple

[RamboLiberal]

Are Buddy and Pedro, two African penguins at the Toronto Zoo, gay?

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but their keepers have noticed the two are inseparable, and perhaps most telling, they’re showing signs of mating behaviours.

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But in Toronto, Buddy and Pedro’s relationship, however you describe it, is destined to come to an end soon because they have a duty. They have top-notch genes, so the zoo intends to separate them from each other and pair them with females for breeding.

Given that African penguins are endangered, the move falls within a species survival plan among zoos.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1081894--same-sex-penguin-pair-fascinates-zookeepers

[tblue]

1. Awwww.....That's sad!

They're buddies! Can we protest?

[teddy51]

2. Well I think thats disgusting that they are going to separate them. This

will probably sign there death warrant from loneliness. Why is it people can't leave well enough alone.

[RamboLiberal]

3. +1 I agree

[Zorra]

4. LOL! Breeders? Oh, my.

Let me know how that works out for y'all.

[joeybee12]

5. Assholes...odds are they won't breed with the females...asshole zoo...knr

[pnwmom]

6. I guess the keepers are hoping they're bi?

:shrug:

[Mac1949]

7. No offense to anyone, but if Buddy and Pedro are gay...

how is pairing them with female penguins going to produce mating behavior? Rather than splitting them up (each of them pining for the other might also have an adverse effect on mating) couldn't the zoo collect their sperm and artificially inseminate the females? There must be some other option.

[Angry Dragon]

10. It has just been learned that the Congressional Republicans

have all volunteered to take a junket to Toronto
to be the sperm collectors

[BadgerKid]

14. And...

to have the penguins sign a pledge to uphold traditional marriage.

[pansypoo53219]

12. how many closet gays have married.

my questions, would they pass on teh gay?

[benld74]

8. VOTE for Pedro!

[closeupready]

9. I hate that. If the two penguins have bonded, they should be left together.

Separating them will stress them. :cry:

[Quantess]

11. Seeing Other Penguins, at least, that's what we say we are doing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=583_nEvuRvw

[Evasporque]

13. So they will soon establish female mates

Then after years of guilt, self-loathing, regret and self destructive behavior they will admit to their mates that they are gay and cannot maintain the charade any longer.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. LMAO!!!

[DainBramaged]

16. Separate them and one or both may die

I had two wonderful male cats who became inseparable, When one died at 14 in fall of 1995, the other died at 15 the next Spring after losing most of his weight and refusal to eat enough to sustain himself. He spent his last months looking for his best friend never understanding what happened.





:cry:

[KamaAina]

17. T.O. mayor Rob Ford has a reputation as a raging homophobe

he skipped out on their Pride parade this year, for instance...

...but this is ridiculous!!

[Posteritatis]

22. Heh, that sort of thing's the first thing that came to mind when I saw this

I was wondering if the zoo was getting pressured and are using trying to get them to breed as an excuse.

[Luciferous]

18. How sad...

[Nye Bevan]

19. Pray away the penguin gay.

Try saying *that* four times quickly.

[mike_c]

20. I suspect they're less "gay" than they are "sexually opportunistic...."

The fact that they're exhibiting mating behaviors suggests that they'll mate with females just fine, once they're paired up. Don't anthropomorphize here-- mating cues and sexual cycles are VERY different in birds from anything that humans can relate to, even in abstract. I mean, their gonads are largely resorbed between mating seasons, LOL, and during mating season they'll often respond to mating cues from unusual sources, including inanimate objects!

[Xithras]

21. Well, are they really "gay" or just "prison gay"?

Lock two straight guys in a cage for a long enough period of time, without any female companionship or hope of escape, and "things happen", if ya know what I'm saying. That doesn't mean they're actually gay, but guys get lonely! ;)

I guess they'll find out soon enough.

[Poll_Blind]

23. You two are cracking my shit up over here- I have no idea if I should even admit that.

I dated a girl a few years back who described herself as being "jailhouse lezbo".

Since we were already having sex I was like "What..What does that mean? Don't you mean you're bisexual?" and she said "No, no..." and filled me in to the nuances. I thought it was pretty funny and arguably pragmatic.

I can't really relate what she said because of the rules here and I honestly doubt I could do an impression of her awesome deadpan delivery when she said stuff like that. But it reminded me of that...

:rofl:

PB

[AtomicKitten]

24. Boo!

[jberryhill]

25. Folks, they are penguins

While all vertebrates may possess certain commonalities of motivation and even emotion, attempting to understand penguins on the basis of human classifications is just dumb.

My guess would be that scientists who are responsible for efforts to preserve this species are likely more well informed on how and when penguins get their freak on and why.