Berlin: Same-sex penguin couple's egg fails to hatch
September 6, 2019
A same-sex emperor penguin couple at the Berlin Zoo was given some sad news this week after an egg they were given to adopt did not hatch, the zoo announced on Thursday.
The egg "burst open" on September 2, but unfortunately had not been fertilized, the zoo said on Twitter.
"Surely they will get the chance to become parents again in the future," they added.
Skipper and Ping were given an egg in July after it had been abandoned by a female penguin.
The two 10-year-old penguins had been showing clear signs that they wanted to brood an egg for a while by attempting to hatch stones and fish, German news agency DPA reported.
Read more: There is no homophobia in the animal kingdom
Zoo spokesman Maximilian Jäger last month said the same-sex couple had acted "like exemplary parents," with each partner taking turns to warm the egg.
It was the first time that the Berlin Zoo tried to have a same-sex penguin couple care for an egg.
Gay penguin couples have been observed in colonies for decades — both in zoos and out in their natural habitats.
Male penguin couples have successfully hatched eggs at other zoos, including two Gentoo penguins who hatched and reared a chick at a Sydney aquarium last year.