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Published 15:45 IST, November 21st 2019

Gay penguin couple steals egg to become fathers at Dutch zoo

Gay penguin couples steal egg from hetero couples in an attempt to become 'dads' in the DierenPark Amersfoort zoo in the Netherlands said the animal caretaker.

Reported by: Pragya Puri
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In a rare incident, a pair of male gay penguins at the Dutch zoo was caught stealing egg from a hetero couple. In a statement released by the DierenPark Amersfoort Zoo in the Netherlands, the animal caretaker informed that a pair of gay penguins were incubating the eggs stolen from a hetero couple. 

Egg stolen from breeding couple

Marc Belt who is the caretaker of the penguins at the DierenPark Amersfoort zoo said in a statement that there are several gay couples along with the hetero couples at the zoo. He further said that the males breed on the egg they have stolen from the breeding couple when the egg was kept unguarded. 

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READ: Gay Penguins Adopt Abandoned Egg In Berlin Zoo, Expected To Hatch In September

Homosexuality common in penguins 

Belt said that homosexuality is common among penguins. The gay couples are careful while breeding the egg and take care of the offspring. The gay penguins alternatively breed the egg. The caretakers have witnessed the first hatch with the onset of the hatching season. There are more chicks expected. Belt added that the caretakers expect at least one offspring from the gay couple. The phenomenon of homosexuality has been witnessed in various species of animals, including penguins. The gay penguin couple Roy and Silo are popular in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The couple tried to incubate an egg a managed to hatch and raise an adopted chick. According to international media, gay penguin couples steal effs so that they can become fathers. 

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READ: Tiny Penguin That Swam From NZ To Aus Recovers; Released Back In Wild

Gay penguins bestowed with gift of parenthood

In another case, two Gay penguins were bestowed with the gift of parenthood when they were handed over an abandoned egg to care for. The couple, Skipper and Ping, living in Berlin Zoo were purportedly in a pursuit to become parents and had long wanted a chick of their own. This had seemingly led them to nurture objects around them like a wet rock or a slimy fish in the hope that one day it would hatch into a chick. The King Penguins, both of whom were 10-years-old each, were given the egg in July after it was abandoned by the only female King Penguin at the Zoo, who had shown disinterest in her egg.

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READ: Antarctic Penguins Suffer 'catastrophic' Breeding Failure

READ: Nesting Penguins Can’t Resist Lure Of New Zealand Sushi Shop
 

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14:44 IST, November 21st 2019