Gay rights campaigners in Germany are celebrating as a couple of gay penguins have hatched and reared a chick that is now four weeks old. ‘Z’ and ‘Vielpunkt’ are the names of the two spheniscidae homosexuals who reside in a zoo in Bremerhaven in Germany which is apparantly, very tasteful.
The saga began in 2005 when three pairs of penguins were alledged to be trying to mate together and trying to hatch stones. The controversy came when the zoo tried to ship four females in to test the homosexuality of the penguins, provoking the anger of gay rights activists.
They believed that the penguins should not be interferred with. Although a sceptic would state that if there were no females in the enclosure, then keeping six male pengiuns banged up together for years might have instigated the initial six-in-a-tank, same sex romp.
Apparantly the couple are settling in happily, ‘just as a hetro couple would’ states the keeper, however it doesn’t take Charles Darwin to observe that if this culture in penguins continues there will be serious problems for the spheniscidae species.
However, you have to admit that the story is endearing, heart warming and above all, funny. Professor West of Oxford University even got in on the action, stating that various species display homosexual behaviour for various different reasons.
In certain bird species females will come together to hatch eggs and rear young, whilst bonobo chimps do it out of an act of social dominance. Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh that’s right… in prison.
Somehow Penguins bring a certain class to it, perhaps because they are not flinging faeces at each other in between coitus or their natural chic ensemble of black and white. I raise a glass to ‘Z’ and ‘Vielpunkt’ and wish them all the luck in the future.
