Calgary Zoo looks to protect penguins from aspergillosis

On 10 November, staff at the Calgary Zoo made the difficult decision to euthanise a 14-year-old male gentoo penguin Houdini after he had been sick for almost a month.

The results of a necropsy confirmed severe aspergillosis – a fungal infection that affects the respiratory system. It is one of the most common causes of death in captive penguins and has been recorded in wild penguins. 

Buddy and Pedro move on to make moves on the ladies

CANADA - It looks like the "bromance" is over. Buddy and Pedro, the same-sex penguin couple who made headlines worldwide when Toronto Zoo decided to separate them for an African penguin breeding program, have rediscovered females.

The more experienced Buddy, who was in a relationship with a female penguin for over 10 years and has fathered chicks before, obviously remembered what women want. Less than three days after the zoo separated him and Pedro, he had paired up with female Farai.

The younger Pedro, who has yet to be a dad, has been trying to get the attention of Thandiwey, another female, but so far his advances have been rejected.

Tom Mason, the zoo's curator of birds and invertebrates, told the media that both Buddy and Pedro would probably end up settling with females as their relationship had been social rather than sexual.

Read previous post: Caught in a lad romance

Sources
Toronto's "gay" penguins split as one mates with female, 13 December 2011, BBC News
Toronto Zoo's "gay" penguins split as Buddy finds a female mate, 13 December 2011, The Metro

Caught in a lad romance

African penguins at Toronto Zoo.
Photo credit: William Pitcher
Some rights reserved. 

CANADA - Toronto Zoo's answer to Central Park Zoo's Roy and Silo may cause just as much controversy as the famous New York penguin couple.

Male African penguins Buddy and Pedro are part of Toronto Zoo's 12-strong penguin exhibit that opened in May this year. They caused a media stir when the zoo announced this month that they were showing signs of a "pair bonding" relationship - that is, courtship and mating behaviour like a male-female pair - but would have to be separated for breeding purposes.

Toronto Zoo is part of the Species Survival Plan for the endangered African penguin, so Buddy and Pedro are supposed to mate with females - not each other - and make penguin chicks.

Pedro is 10 years old; Buddy is 20 and has previously mated with a female. Being two of the zoo's six male penguins, both are considered important breeding material.

The zoo may have thought its plan to separate the birds sounded quite sensible - but the public outcry was immediate. Online petitions and surveys all had the same message: Don't split up Buddy and Pedro!

In response, the zoo's curator of invertebrates and birds, Tom Mason, told PinkNews.co.uk that although it would be "necessary" to separate the penguin pair if they showed no signs of mating with females, it will be "only temporary".

“There will be a limited time of separation but it will not be permanent. No matter what happens all the penguins will be re-united by spring," Mr Mason said.

“If Pedro and Buddy wish to get back together, they will be welcome to do so.”

Meanwhile in the Southern Hemisphere an Aussie same-sex penguin couple is out, proud and allowed to live together.

Little penguins Brendan and Andy at Pet Porpoise Pool in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales have been sharing the same burrow for the past 12 months.

Marketing managing Angela Van den Bosch told The Coffs Coast Advocate, "The team is very supportive of their wish to live together as they are genuinely caring of each other."

"Brendan has taken on the responsibility of building the nest and renovating their hutch to make it a home. While Andy is the provider, and in the past fathered chicks with a few of the females, it is apparent he has now decided that he prefers the company of Brendan."

Perhaps this time next year, Buddy and Pedro may have the same love story to tell.

Sources
Toronto Zoo says it will reunite "gay" penguins in the spring by Kathleen Jercich, 16 November 2011, Care2.com
Canada's gay penguins to be "reunited by spring" by Stephen Gray, 11 November 2011, PinkNews.co.uk
Same-sex penguin pair fascinates zookeepers by Donovan Vincent, 4 November 2011, Toronto Star
The perfect pair of penguins, 28 October 2011, The Coffs Coast Advocate