Animals are amazing. Anyone who disagrees with that statement is almost certainly a sociopath. But what’s better than animals? LGBT animals, that’s what – fighting the fight good alongside their queer human counterparts.
Dozens of studies have found that thousands of species of animals entertain same-sex sexual activity, with scientists discovering over 450 species of animals who display gay behaviour.
Same-sex activity is used in the animal kingdom for many reasons, ranging from pleasure-seeking to conflict solving. Many species form bonds for life with their same-sex partner.
We’ve all already enjoyed the two gay penguins in a Chinese zoo who were seen stealing eggs from straight couples – and trying to hide their antics by replacing the eggs with stones – but here some more of our top dogs…
Buddy and Pedro the gay penguins
African penguins Buddy and Pedro, one of many gay penguin couples you’ll see on this list, had bonded before they arrived at a zoo in Vancouver, but for the sake of their species were separated briefly in order to pair with female penguins.
The African penguin is endangered with fewer than a quarter of a million individuals left, and the zoo said that it needed the two males to produce offspring in order to increase animal numbers.
Tom Mason, the zoo’s Curator of Invertebrates and Birds told PinkNews the move wasnecessary, but only temporary.
“If Pedro and Buddy wish to get back together, they will be welcome to do so.”
Gay flamingos adopt too
Back in 2014, a pair of gay flamingos at Edinburgh zoo adopted a baby chick of their own, after it was rejected by its straight parents.
The rare Chilean Flamingo was born to a straight couple as part of the zoo’s breeding programme, but was left helpless after it fell out of its nest before even hatching.
Zookeeper Nick Dowling said: “When the first egg arrived the parenting couple got really excited and accidentally knocked it off the nest – their natural instinct was then to abandon the egg.
“We don’t usually intervene with our flamingo flock but as this was our first egg since 2010, we carefully picked it up and placed it back on the nest.
“Luckily, one of our same-sex male couples went straight onto the nest, fostered the egg and raised it as their own.”
Read the full list via PinkNews