Gay penguin couple hatch and raise abandoned chick

By Ed Chatterton

A gay penguin couple have stepped in to hatch and raise a baby chick after it was born at Chester Zoo.

Males Scampi and Flounder took on the parenting responsibility after ten rare Humboldt penguin chicks arrived at the attraction in April.

The devoted duo came forward to help raise one of two eggs, which were laid by another penguin pair called Wotsit and Peach.

Same-sex relationships are not unheard of in the penguin world and a gay pair called Sphen (Corr) and Magic became world-famous after raising two chicks at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in 2020.

With penguins, both mom and dad usually share feeding and parenting duties but in an a 'heartwarming development', males Scampi and Flounder have taken on the role together.

Adorable photos show the youngsters undergoing regular weigh-ins and are said to be just 'days away' from their first swimming lessons.

Zoe Sweetman, team manager of penguins at Chester Zoo, said: “Ten chicks hatching in one season marks a bumper year for the penguins here.

"It’s fantastic news for the species and a brilliant success for the international conservation breeding program.

"The fluffy new arrivals are all being looked after brilliantly by their parents, having nearly quadrupled in size since they first emerged.

“They’re now days away from a really exciting milestone - their very first swimming lessons, which is always a thrill to witness as they dive into the pool for the very first time."

The highly-threatened Humboldt species is one of the most at risk of extinction out of the world’s 17 species of penguin.

Bird experts shared the eggs between the two nests to help give both chicks the best possible start and help improve chances of successful fledging.

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The chicks began hatching from their eggs between April 16-28 and have spent their first few weeks of life tucked away in their nest burrows.

Keepers have now named eight of the penguins after constellations and celestial wonders - Ursa, Alcyone, Quasar, Orion, Dorado, Cassiopeia, Altair and Xena.

Zoe added: "“In what has been one of our long standing traditions, each year we pick a fun theme to help name our chicks, which helps us keep track of who is who now that there are 63 penguins in the colony.

"This year we’ve gone with a celestial theme for naming the chicks and we’ve had a lot of fun coming up with names inspired by stars, constellations and cosmic wonders.

"But we’ve saved the final two names for the public, who can help us choose via the zoo’s social media channels.”

Humboldt penguins are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Found on the rocky coastal shores of Peru and Chile, they face a number of threats in the wild, including climate change, overfishing and rising ocean temperatures.

Humboldt penguin facts

Scientific name: Spheniscus humboldti

• The South American penguin is named after the chilly Humboldt current, along which the penguins commonly swim.
• In the wild, Humboldt penguins are vulnerable to disturbances in their food chain caused by strong El Niño currents.
• Humboldt penguins are social animals, living in relatively large colonies of closely spaced burrows.
• Humboldt penguins ‘fly’ through the water at speeds of up to 25mph.
• They enjoy a diet of small fish (anchovies, herring, smelt) and crustaceans.