A gay penguin couple are currently looking after an egg that was abandoned by its mother.
The penguin couple Skipper and Ping are at Berlin Zoo in the German capital.
The two male King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) aged 10 years old have often shown their maternal tendencies.
Zookeeper Norbert Zahmel, 50, said: “The pair have often tried to incubate stones. They even tried it with fish.”
The colony of King Penguins at Berlin Zoo has five males and one female.
Zahmel added: “On 11th July the female laid an egg. But she did not take care of it. King penguins put the egg on their feet carefully with their beak and then hold on to their feet keeping it warm with their stomach fat. The parents share the brooding of the egg.”
Skipper and Ping are now sharing this job.
Zahmel added: “We just put the egg in front of the boys and they knew what to do. This is the first time we have tried to let a same-sex pair brood an egg.”
“Both of them are doing everything right so far and looking after the egg.”
If the egg was fertilised the chick will be born around day 55. It is currently day 29.
“There have been no baby King Penguins since 2012. A successful birth would be fantastic.”
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Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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