Gay penguin Sphen dies in Australian aquarium

An Australian penguin famous for raising chicks as part of an unlikely same-sex couple has died, the Sydney Sealife Aquarium announced on Thursday.

"Staff at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium are heartbroken to share the news that Sphen, one-half of the world's most famous and loved gentoo penguin couples, has sadly passed away," the aquarium said in a statement.

Sea Life Aquarium said Sphen, who was the older partner in the "same-sex" penguin pair, died just shy of turning 12, considered a long life in captivity.

"Sphen and Magic shared a bond unlike most other penguin couples — they could even be found together outside of the breeding season, which is unique for gentoo penguins," the aquarium said.

Gay icons

Male gentoo penguins Sphen and Magic built a nest of pebbles together in 2018, catching the attention of zookeepers and then the world.

They eventually hatched chicks, Sphengic in 2018 and Clancy two years later, after being given live eggs from other penguin couples to incubate.

Sphen and Magic were adopted as gay icons in Australia and abroad, inspiring a float in the Sydney Mardi Gras parade and appearing in the Netflix sitcom Atypical.

But they also had their critics, with some in conservative circles saying the penguins were being unwittingly used to push a political agenda.

Team focuses on Magic

Aquarium general manager Richard Dilly said through Sphen and Magic's fame, the aquarium had been able to share important messages on conservation, plastic pollution, global warming and the importance of protecting wild penguins through fundraising initiatives.

"The team's focus is now on Magic, who will soon prepare for his first breeding season without Sphen," Dilly added.

To help Magic, who turns nine in November, process the loss, staff took him to see Sphen so that he could understand his partner wouldn't return, the aquarium said.

"He immediately started singing, which was beautifully reciprocated by the colony," it added.

Other same-sex penguin couples

It was not the first time that same-sex penguin couples have adopted eggs in captivity, and a handful of zoos around the world have reported similar cases.

In 2009, two male penguins — Z and Vielpunkt — successfully hatched and raised a chick who had been rejected by his heterosexual parents at the Berlin Zoo. In 2019,  two other male penguins there — Skipper and Ping — also adopted an abandoned egg, but it failed to hatch.

They were preceded by Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at a New York zoo. They were frequently seen attempting to mate.

dh/fb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)