LGBTQuties

At the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, a couple of penguins - more precisely, a penguin couple - got an extra gift, becoming the zoo's first same-sex foster parents to successfully hatch an egg.

They are recognized as a couple because birds mate for life. Kardashians, etc, ought to look into that practice.

Elmer and Lima, two adult male Humboldt penguins, hatched a chick on New Year's Day. 

E & L are Gifford Zoo homeys, both being born there (Elmer in 2016 and Lima in 2019) and they got together in fall 2021 during the current breeding season.

"The penguins are free to choose who they want to spend time with (pair with) and in their case, they chose each other," zoo director Ted Fox said. He went on:  "The welfare and wellbeing of every animal that lives at the zoo is very important to us and we support and encourage each animal to make its own choices when choosing their mates."

Elmer is named Elmer because the egg from which he hatched was accidentally broken by his parents. The Animal Care Team at the zoo repaired his shell with...say it with me...Elmer's Glue!

No word on where Lima got his name, and he can't answer questions because he is not a human bean.

But the zoo says cracked shells, unintentional though they be, are no yolk, so they sometimes transfer an egg to foster parents, who care for it while the real parents incubate a dummy egg.

Mr Fox reports, "At our first health check when the chick was five days old, it weighed 226 grams (8 ounces). It continues to be brooded and cared for by both Elmer and Lima, who are doing a great job."

The chick is an as-yet unnamed male. They are scrambling around searching for a name, apparently ignoring my suggestion ("Leon") out of hand.

Mr Fox said the penguin couples are good at splitting up parent chores such as incubating, brooding, and feeding the chick. Usually, when one is out feeding or swimming, the other stays with the chick to provide warmth and protection. Then the other one comes home to hear, "What a day I had! I could use some help around here, you know?" and they switch off for a few hours. At bedtime, everyone curls up in a big ball of penguinity.

And while not all penguin parents are good at the skill of hatching eggs, Mr Fox said they could see that "Elmer and Lima were exemplary in every aspect of egg care." He's sure their story would "help people of all ages and backgrounds relate to animals."

 

 So there you have today's look Inside The Animal Kingdom. Tomorrow, we'll discuss the futility of reasoning with an anteater.