By David Farrier
They’re calling it “Brokeback Iceberg”: two gay penguins pairing in a Toronto Zoo.
But zookeepers aren’t happy to leave the couple together.
Pedro and Buddy are endangered African penguins. They are both male and in love - with each other.
“They’ve bonded. They seem to get along quite well, there’s no question about that,” a spokesman said.
But zoo officials plan to separate the two, hoping they will mate with females as part of a breeding programme.
“We have the two males together but only females can lay eggs,” the spokesman says.
But not everyone is laughing; many zoo visitors think separating the pair is wrong.
Canadian gay rights activists agree – noting other animals have same-sex relationships too.
The debate is raging far beyond Canada; Taiwan’s Next Media Animation has waded in with their famous animal animations, complete with Brokeback Mountain dialogue.
American talkshows including Jimmy Kimmel Live have also weighed in.
The zoo has received hundreds of calls about the pair and zookeepers are quick to point out that Buddy has had a female partner in the past.
As for Pedro, he’s never had a mate – until now.
3 News