Same-sex penguins paired with females: zoo

The Toronto Zoo says that two male penguins are part of a breeding group now, but one has bonded more with its female partner than the other.

Last month, Buddy and Pedro, two male African penguins who swam together and shared a nest, were separated after they refused to leave each other’s side to breed with females at the zoo. The penguins are an endangered species.

On Monday, the zoo said that Buddy and his mate Farai were paired up Nov. 19 and are doing extremely well together. But Pedro and his mate, who were paired up Dec. 1 “aren’t quite as bonded.”

“Pedro is very ready to go per se, but his prospective mate, Thandiwey, is very shy, and we’ve always known she’s been very shy, even in the groups,” said Tom Mason, the zoo’s curator of birds and invertebrates. “She’s the one who’s always been standoffish. She’s not quite ready to go. But they’re beginners just starting life as a pair.”

For African penguins, laying their eggs can take anywhere from a few days up to one month after the
female has ovulated, the zoo said. While no eggs have resulted from either pairing, the Toronto Zoo hopes that eggs will be laid between mid-December and March 2012.

Buddy and Pedro, who came from the Toledo Zoo about a year ago, received international attention after it was reported the zoo was splitting the same sex pair up for the winter.

Mason told The Canadian Press that the birds have what’s known as a “social bond” but it’s not necessarily a sexual one.

“They have one another’s backs,” he said.

Last month, the story of the same-sex pair went viral on the web, leading to cheeky YouTube videos and scandalous headlines.

Buddy, who is 21, had a female partner for 10 years and produced some offspring but his partner died, Mason said.

Pedro, 10, has yet to produce an offspring.

With files from The Canadian Press

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