From the Guardian:
When Toronto zoo bought African penguins Pedro and Buddy from Pittsburgh's National Aviary, they expected them to mate with two females. Instead, despite being trailed by lovelorn lady penguins, they only had eyes for each other, engaging in what naturalists call "courtship behaviour". So Tom Mason, the zoo's curator of birds and invertebrates, ended the relationship on the grounds that it was jeopardising the future of the species. Despite the impression given by programmes such as Frozen Planet, which show carpets of penguins as far as the eye can see, the African penguin is on the verge of extinction. Only 60,000 are left in the wild (down from 225,000 two decades ago), and the zoo doesn't feel it can allow a season to go by without Pedro and Buddy's genes being passed on.Aren't the penguins beautiful? The appearance and coloration of the two birds are quite different.
If you click the link to the Guardian, you will see the headline: "Is it homophobic to split up gay penguins?" Was the separation of Pedro and Buddy due to homophobia? The African penguins face extinction, and the zookeepers want the penguins to breed. Should the zoo have allowed Pedro and Buddy to stay together?
What do you think?
UPDATE: According to the website Penguins-World, "They [African Penguins] form lifelong mating rituals with one partner."
And thanks to Lapin for the link to the story.
