How far would creatures go to become parents? Would abduction be a last resort? Well, for two gay penguins at a Dutch Zoo, it was. At the DierenPark Amersfoort, a zoo located in the city of Amersfoort in the Netherlands, a pair of two male homosexual African penguins have stolen a nest of eggs from a lesbian penguin couple at the zoo.
In a social media post, the zoo announced that the penguin couple who engaged in a similar action last year where they stole an egg, managed to get away with the heist of an entire nest this time. "Last year, the males incubated an egg that they had taken from a straight couple at an unguarded moment. This year they even managed to get a whole nest with two (!) Eggs," the post read.
History of 'Eggnapping'
This is not the first time that the two desperate same-sex parents tried to get themselves an offspring. In November 2019, the two nameless male penguins stole an egg from heterosexual pair and tried to hatch the eggs. While the egg yielded no chicks, the wannabe parents are said to have done their best to care for the egg.
"The gay couple takes good care of the egg, the males both breed alternately," said Marc Belt, a zookeeper, according to RTV Utrecht. The pair from whom the egg was stolen managed to have another egg.
However, this time around, the two male penguins seem to have taken their parenting ambitions to a whole new level. Not only did they steal the entire nest from a lesbian pair of penguins, but they are also said to be fiercely exercising their parental duties this time as well. "Despite the fact that no chick is expected, the males are careful with their new arrival. Both birds brood on the eggs, alternately guarding the nest!" the zoo said in another post.
Setting High Couple Goals
Homosexuality in the animal kingdom is not unheard of. Several species have been found to pair with the same sex, including in primates such as Bonobos. Homosexual pairing in penguins has also been found common among penguins. African penguins are monogamous animals and pair for life.
Despite not achieving their ambitious parental goals, this diligent couple is surely setting very high couple goals. "The eggs turned out to be unfertilized, but the couple is still together! Penguins live monogamous, which means that they have one steady partner," the park said in the post.
