Here's a "Queer Bird" :o)

Cute, wonder wot they'll name the "kid"...???

:-)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8081829.stm

'Gay penguins' rear adopted chick


Two "gay" male penguins have hatched a chick and are now rearing it as its
adoptive parents, says a German zoo.

The zoo, in Bremerhaven, northern Germany, says the adult males - Z and
Vielpunkt - were given an egg which was rejected by its biological parents.

It says the couple are now happily rearing the chick, said to have reached
four weeks old.

The zoo made headlines in 2005 over plans to "test" the sexual orientation
of penguins with homosexual traits.

Three pairs of male penguins had been seen attempting to mate with each
other and trying to hatch offspring from stones.

" Since the chick arrived, they have been behaving just as you would expect
a heterosexual couple to do "
Bremerhaven zoo
The zoo flew in four females in a bid to get the endangered birds to
reproduce - but quickly abandoned the scheme after causing outrage among gay
rights activists, who accused it of interfering in the animals' behaviour.

The six "gay" penguins remain at the zoo, among them Z and Vielpunkt who are
now rearing the chick together after being given the rejected egg.

"Z and Vielpunkt, both males, gladly accepted their 'Easter gift' and got
straight down to raising it," said a zoo statement.

"Since the chick arrived, they have been behaving just as you would expect a
heterosexual couple to do. The two happy fathers spend their days
attentively protecting, caring for and feeding their adopted offspring."

Humboldt penguins are normally found in coastal Peru and Chile, but their
numbers have been dwindling due to overfishing, reports the AFP news agency.

'Drive to mate'

There have been previous reports of exclusive male-to-male pairings among
penguins, some of which have also included the rearing of chicks.

Homosexual behaviour in is well documented in many different animals, but it
is not understood in detail, says Professor Stuart West, an evolutionary
biologist at the University of Oxford.

Professor West says it has been suggested that homosexual activity could
serve various purposes - for instance, it may relate to social bonding and
establishment of dominance among bonobo chimps, while in some bird species,
females may come together to rear young.

Other animals may simply exhibit a "drive to mate", while others may, like
humans, enjoy non-procreative sexual activity.

"Homosexuality is nothing unusual among animals," Bremerhaven zoo said on
Wednesday.

"Sex and coupling up in our world do not necessarily have anything to do
with reproduction."

/

"Gregory Morrow" wrote in message
m...
Cute, wonder wot they'll name the "kid"...???

:-)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8081829.stm

'Gay penguins' rear adopted chick


Two "gay" male penguins have hatched a chick and are now rearing it as its
adoptive parents, says a German zoo.



I find the use of the term 'rear' & 'rearing' offensive in this context.

M'Balz Es-Hari wrote:

"Gregory Morrow" wrote in message
m...
Cute, wonder wot they'll name the "kid"...???

:-)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8081829.stm

'Gay penguins' rear adopted chick


Two "gay" male penguins have hatched a chick and are now rearing it as
its
adoptive parents, says a German zoo.



I find the use of the term 'rear' & 'rearing' offensive in this context.



So the offspring's name is "Runge"...!!!

;-D

chortle


--
Best
Greg

On 5/06/09 6:43, in article ,
"Gregory Morrow" wrote:

Two "gay" male penguins


It is extremely difficult to determine the sex of a penguin so it might
just be a case of trial and error.

On Jun 5, 2:25*am, Earl Evleth wrote:
On 5/06/09 6:43, in article ,

"Gregory Morrow" wrote:
Two "gay" male penguins

It is extremely difficult to determine the sex of a penguin so it might
just be a case of trial and error.

Yeah, I guess God was kind in his infinite wisdom, not leaving them
anything to possibly drag across the ice & snow...

On Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:25:28 +0200, Earl Evleth
wrote:

On 5/06/09 6:43, in article ,
"Gregory Morrow" wrote:

Two "gay" male penguins


It is extremely difficult to determine the sex of a penguin so it might
just be a case of trial and error.

Earl knows this because his hobby in retirement has been turning
penguins upside down, trying to locate the various sexual organs.
It's definitely been a case of trial and error for him.


Planet Visitor II
http://alt-activism-death-penalty.info/dictionary.html

"I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all" -- JM