Irish aquarium has two adorable gay penguin couples
Gay penguins Missy and Bubbles, who reside in Dingle, Co Kerry (Courtesy of Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium)
An aquarium in County Kerry, Ireland has revealed that they now have two adorable gay penguin couples.
The aquarium previously made headlines in 2014 when they revealed that they had a lesbian penguin couple. However, they have now revealed that two male penguins have paired up too.
The Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium confirmed to PinkNews that four of their 14 penguins are now in same-sex relationships.
Gay penguins ‘woo each other with stones’
The aquarium’s manager Louise Overy told the Irish Mirror: “We have two homosexual and two lesbian ones. You cannot tell a male penguin from a female by their sexual organs so the only way we know is when we see them mating and not producing chicks.”
“The lesbian ones will take action if they feel broody. They will waddle over to a male to do what needs to be done and rear the chick with their female partner.”
It is not considered unusual for penguins to be in same-sex relationships—various zoos and aquariums across the world have reported same-sex penguins partnering up.
“The lesbian ones will take action if they feel broody. They will waddle over to a male to do what needs to be done and rear the chick with their female partner.”
– Louise Overy, aquarium manager
Overy said that the penguins “woo each other with stones” which the other partner then uses to build a nest. “It’s far cheaper than diamond rings and flowers!” she quipped.
Penguin keeper Maria with gay penguins Odin and Uisce (Courtesy of Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium)
The aquarium made headlines in 2014 when lesbian penguins Penelope and Missy got together
The aquarium made headlines in 2014 when they revealed that lesbian penguins Penelope and Missy were showing signs of being a courting couple.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner at the time, head penguin keeper, Kate Hall said: “The ones in Central Park are icons for the gay community over there… They have a lot of fondness and affection for them.
“It’s definitely not an unusual occurrence although this time it’s two females.”
Homosexual pairings are common in penguins, with many gay penguin couples attracting a human following after their unencumbered relationships attracted attention.
A children’s book that tells the real story of two male penguins raising an egg together is one of the most-banned books in the US.
The book, And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnel, is based of the true story of penguins Roy and Silo, who started a relationship in New York’s Central Park Zoo.
Zookeepers gave the pair an egg to take care of—which hatched into their adoptive son Tango.
