‘Gay’ Penguins to Be Separated at Toronto Zoo
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Toronto Zoo to separate two "gay" penguins so that they can breed. (Rene Johnston/Toronto Star)
The amorous connection between two inseparable male penguins will soon come to an end when the Toronto Zoo pairs them with females.
“The males will be put in with a specific female so they have the chance to get to know one another, and if they bond, that’s what we’re looking for,” Bill Rapley, the zoo’s executive director of conservation and wildlife, told ABCNews.com.
Buddy, 21, and Pedro, 10, lived in a zoo in Toledo, Ohio, before traveling to Canada to become part of the Toronto Zoo’s first African penguin exhibit in 18 years.
Zookeepers quickly observed courtship and mating behaviors that are typically exhibited only between males and females.
“When you put things in captivity, odd things happen,” Kevin McGowan of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y., told ABCNews.com. “The way penguins work is they do get paired for a long time. Basically, the only other penguin they care about is their mate, so it’s important for them to find somebody who’s compatible, and if you don’t have a normal upbringing then it’s difficult to say how ‘normal’ they can be.”
Buddy and Pedro, who were both raised in captivity, pair together every night, “bray” at one another, groom each other, and never seem to tire of standing alongside each other, the Toronto Star reported.
But because the penguins have “top-notch genes,” zookeepers want them to breed with females to help populate the species, which is endangered.
According to the Toronto Zoo’s website, the African penguin population initially declined because their eggs had been overharvested, and many of their habitats had been disturbed. Today, oil pollution and a shrinking food supply exacerbated by commercial fishing are the major threats to their existence.
The zoo is now engaged in a species survival plan to help the species populate.
But just because Buddy and Pedro are placed with females doesn’t mean they will want to pair with them, which might pose a challenge to the zoo’s attempts at animal husbandry.
“They don’t necessarily do what you want them to do, and what can be kind of tricky is getting them to accept the mate you want them to have,” said McGowan.
Part of the reason penguins tend to be so picky about their mates, he said, is because rearing chicks is “one of the hardest working times of their lives,” McGowan said. “There’s an awful lot of feeding.
“You can imagine if you’re going to invest so much time and energy in a chick … you would be choosy [about your mate] in that situation,” he said. “And the penguins are relatively choosy.”
Buddy might have an easier time adapting than Pedro. Before Buddy arrived at the Toronto Zoo, he paired with a female for “quite a few years,” and they had eggs together, Tom Mason, Toronto Zoo curator of birds, told ABCNews.com. ”After she passed away, Buddy was put with Pedro at the other zoo [in Ohio] and now they’ve been put in here to specifically breed with females. We’re setting up colony of 12 – to maximize genetics and avoid inbreeding.”
But when the breeding season is over, all the birds will eventually return to the same enclosure, and “if Buddy and Pedro want to be together … they will be back together, ” said Mason.
A Few Facts About African Penguins
- Pairs mate for life
- They live about 15 to 20 years
- Both males and females incubate eggs
- The population has dropped from millions to less than 60,000 since the 1800s
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Posted by: JustMeIntheRock | November 8, 2011, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm
Their just friends. Nothing wrong with that. Their not having sex are they?!
Posted by: Bukk | November 8, 2011, 1:49 pm 1:49 pm
Isn’t it enough an injustice they are captive? Now they are being deprived of the happiness they’ve found together? Only a bigot would do this to defenseless captive creatures. Perhaps someone should put them in a cage for a month and deprive them of their loved ones.
Posted by: SFRussell1963 | November 8, 2011, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
Life’s not fair.
I bet they won’t voluntarily breed. Poor guys, I feel sorrow over their forced parting.
Leave ‘em alone and concentrate on the straight penguins!
Posted by: Aaron Ververs | November 8, 2011, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
I agree with BUKK. What gives these people the right to mess with the companionship to which the captives have become accustomed? There is no regard whatsoever for the animals. How ridiculous! There is nothing “superior” about the genes of animals in captivity. Evolution requires diversity and natural selection of mates – i.e., found in nature, not concrete prisons. They admit penguins are “choosy” about their mates. So the poor animals will have a HUGE choice in their little enclosures, eh? People like this disgust me. Zoos are business. The conservation/education arguments are snow job. Zoos are businesses. Boycott all zoos!
Posted by: Dr.T | November 8, 2011, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
That’s animal cruelty. This is absoluttely cruel and heartless. These poor captive creatures are not hurthing anybody. Shame on these individuals!
Posted by: tstorm | November 8, 2011, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
“Their just friends. Nothing wrong with that. Their not having sex are they?!?” According to the article they’re exhibiting courtship and mating behavior that under normal circumstances would occur only between a male and female. Subjecting these penguins to unnatural circumstances brought about this abnormal behavior, and now the zookeepers just are trying to rectify the situation so that the penguins can live the lives that evoluation and nature intended for the well-being of the species.
Posted by: Publius | November 8, 2011, 3:18 pm 3:18 pm
If this is not the ultimate PC agenda driven BS I don’t know what is. lol They have not found a mate yet and in the wild, animals like this will live in male groups until they are strong enough to go fight off challenges for mating. Again, this is nothing more than an agenda to say “animals are gay too.”
Posted by: jstate83 | November 8, 2011, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
Since Buddy is 21, and Pedro is 10, if this is child molestation, then put Buddy in jail. If they are both adults, let them be happy together. I hope once the zoo officials see that they don’t mate with “girls”, they put them back together and leave them alone.
Posted by: Carlos | November 8, 2011, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
I wonder if this is purely a zoo decision or did the Christian Taliban issue a fatwa against seemingly gay animals.
Posted by: Ed | November 8, 2011, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm
Good Lord…
Posted by: Christine | November 8, 2011, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Or maybe they can just adopt.
Posted by: Erica | November 8, 2011, 5:07 pm 5:07 pm
“Ex-gay” intervention for penguins. LOL
Posted by: jock59801 | November 8, 2011, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm
For all here! penguins like all animals practice same sex while in the while. this has nothing to do with captivity. this is a good example for in vitro.
Posted by: Elena | November 8, 2011, 11:12 pm 11:12 pm
The poor things are already stuck in captivity, and now their captors are going to separate them from their best friend/partner in the name of science. Good job. Nothing like a little animal cruelty to get them breeding, eh?
Posted by: Nikki | November 9, 2011, 9:51 am 9:51 am
poor guys :( why can’t they just be!
Posted by: m | November 9, 2011, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Everyone is being so idiotic with their comments about this. Yes, the penguins appear to be in love, but they won’t be separated for life. Lighten up people! The zookeepers are trying to help increase the ENDANGERED penguin population, and they can’t do that by breeding two males. If you read the end of the article, you will read that after breeding season all of the penguins will be put in the same enclosure and the boys can be together again. Read the whole article before posting senseless comments.
Posted by: Vickie | November 9, 2011, 10:55 am 10:55 am
this upsets me. put a couple of ladies in with them if you wish but don’t separate them. Let
nature run it’s course.
Posted by: barbara | November 9, 2011, 11:41 am 11:41 am
Just wait ’til the PCLU hears about this! (Penguin Civil Liberties Union).
Posted by: Tom Tucker | November 9, 2011, 11:42 am 11:42 am
but…they can’t revert back to being not gay….it’s impossible….oh wait, they weren’t gay to being with
Posted by: St | November 9, 2011, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm
I agree with the comment that they are already subject to a horrid life of captivity and exploitation and now the animal slave masters want to separate a couple pals. Zoo’s that keep animals behind bars are a blight on the soul of humanity as it is. Unless they are used to preserve an endangered species I say get rid of them all. Jacques Cousteau stated that captivity of a wild animal “deeply perverts it”. What more needs to be said?
Posted by: Patrick R | November 9, 2011, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm
I think it is time to pray the gay away!
Posted by: Will I AM | November 9, 2011, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm
i see michelle bachman is on the crusade to cure “gay” animals through her clinics too
Posted by: sai | November 9, 2011, 2:13 pm 2:13 pm
Does anybody know if they are in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” section of the zoo?
Posted by: Troy | November 9, 2011, 2:28 pm 2:28 pm
I wonder if trying to get them to breed is such a good idea. Won’t they pass the gay gene on to any offspring? Of course, if they do successfully breed, then I guess they aren’t actually gay, just bi. Bisexuality is not as detrimental to the long-term survival of an endangered species as exclusive homosexuality.
Posted by: Arf40 | November 9, 2011, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm
Maybe they go to work out and are just better looking than the straight Penguins. If they are gay, couln’t they just find a seragate female to have the babies for them?
I bet when they go to make a nest that theirs will be much better looking then everyone else plus they would decorate it will extravagant sea creatures.
Posted by: Mitch Rozen | November 9, 2011, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
LOL Gay penguins! HA
one of them is a pedophile too, this story blows my mind. Also, one of the penguins, Buddy is actually Bisexual, he goes both ways. I hope they don’t become depressed and commit suicide once they are separated LOL!
Just a bunch of penguins haha lighten up
Posted by: MARTAN | November 9, 2011, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
Vickie you are clearly the only person who read this article with any brains in your head at all. Nice job, i agree with you 100%!
Posted by: GMoney | November 9, 2011, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
I can see this story happening somewhere like Alabama, but Toronto? What is happening with the Canadians? I thought they were better than this…shame on the Toronto Zoo!
Posted by: Jennifer M | November 9, 2011, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
Poor Buddy and Pedro, what is the world coming to when Penguins can’t love freely. This is very upsetting.
Posted by: LMac | November 9, 2011, 6:50 pm 6:50 pm
The African Penguin only mates once in it’s life separating Buddy and Pedro could cause depression in the penguins, or they could die of a broken heart. Vote for Buddy and Pedro.
Posted by: Brianna | November 9, 2011, 7:25 pm 7:25 pm
With a crowbar.
Posted by: RevHellhorn | November 9, 2011, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm
Couldn’t the zoo officials just euthanize them? They’re weird and abnormal – why try to breed them?
Posted by: Lygalia | November 9, 2011, 10:35 pm 10:35 pm
Life is hard for them already to be kept in captivity at the zoo. They finally found something worth living for, “love”, and people still try to take it away from them. Isn’t this just too sad :’(
Posted by: Geng | November 10, 2011, 2:24 am 2:24 am
Out-raged!!! They will not mate with others…..these two are companions, They don’t seperate “gay” people, why these animals…..Buddy and Pedro need each other!!
Posted by: Tracy Rager | November 10, 2011, 8:31 am 8:31 am
And what about Canada’s billboard saying…you can’t smoke a Fag but you can marry one…so is this a plug against same-sex couples?
Posted by: chris | November 10, 2011, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm
Macam-macam…animal also can be a gay….what in the world!
Posted by: Junaiza Aziz | November 10, 2011, 10:14 pm 10:14 pm
I am not a rocket scientist, but I don’t think that it’s nice that the would take away these penguins and have them living separate quarters. I’ve saw what separation did to my dog and cat, and from me to you, it’s very stressful on the animals.
Posted by: Kalik | November 11, 2011, 1:08 am 1:08 am
Is there a shortage of penguin? Typically, each male penguin can mate 100 female penguins. Is there a SHORTAGE of penguins in Toronto? Do they just want to break up a good couple?
Posted by: Skeptic | November 11, 2011, 11:41 am 11:41 am
What a bunch of baloney as animals are not gay, they play and act like children. This is just another attempt for the wicked gay community to have their evil life style accepted. Well, maybe all you wicked homosexuals can learn from this since they are putting the male penguins with the female penguins for a reason.
Posted by: bernice | November 11, 2011, 12:58 pm 12:58 pm
Though it’s sad that the two penguins have to separate, it might be for the best for their species. The article does say they’ll be put back together in the end so they should be alright. And if something bad does happen to those penguins I’m sure a nice mob of unhappy animal rights activists will appear at that zoo’s doors, promptly tear it down, and rage all over those zoo keeper’s heads. Have faith that Buddy and Pedro will be together again :D
Posted by: Severine | November 13, 2011, 9:43 am 9:43 am
And to Bernice, just so you know, there are many recorded events of homosexuality in nature. Go look it up instead of blasting your hate-filled words across the internet. Humans aren’t endangered because we can’t breed, it’s because they won’t stop breeding that we’re endangered.
Posted by: Severine | November 13, 2011, 9:46 am 9:46 am
Oh Bernice, you’re just bitter no one’s forcing a man to breed with you.
Posted by: scott | November 14, 2011, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
OMG – really!? people are getting this spun up on this? They are animals – granted that doesn’t give us a license to abuse them, but in light of the ills that human kind has brought upon them in decreasing their population and habitats, the interfernce of the zoo are well within reason and ethical.
Posted by: Jorge de la Cerva | November 17, 2011, 9:35 am 9:35 am
Okay, I think this one we may be blowing out of proportion. The species is almost extinct so I can understand why they need to at least attempt to get them to pair with females. And this is from the view point of a gay man, not everything is a homophobic hate crime people….
Posted by: Matthew | November 17, 2011, 11:18 am 11:18 am
I’d be inclined to defend the gay; freedom of choice and whatnot, but it probably is a really good thing they’re being separated. Endangered species and all, means their future generations can be gay, but a species can’t afford to not have reproduction happening if they are endangered.
Posted by: Vivemis | November 17, 2011, 1:51 pm 1:51 pm
Great delivery. Great arguments. Keep up the amazing effort.
Posted by: Albert Delosreyes | December 8, 2011, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
that’s horrible gay penguins need love too shame on these bigots you can pull them apart but u cant stop there penguin love this is animal cruelty thou i understand there need to breed to penguins the penguin should be given the opportunity to be with the penguin of its choosing
Posted by: Jay | December 13, 2011, 8:07 pm 8:07 pm