LGBTQ+ animals currently in Zoos

[Mr Gharial]

I know a lot of animals in the wild showcase homosexual behaviour, and there are a few famous gay animals in zoos. Possibly the most notable example being the two male Chinstrap penguins Roy and Silo from the Central Park zoo, who were featured in a Children's book.

Recently, a white-backed vulture chick was adopted by a gay vulture couple in Beekse Bergen, and it made me wonder... How many LGBTQ+ animals are there currently in zoos?

Well, I say LGBTQ+, but for the purposes of this thread let's keep it to homo/bisexuality, since gender identity isn't something many animals have. Intersex, genderfluid, transsexual, etc all do exist within the animal kingdom, but that would include all snails, clownfish and... Hyena's? Sort of... So that would quickly fill up the thread.

Additionally, I would like to focus the thread mainly on homo/bisexual relationships and less on just intercourse, since practically all bonobos have a lot of pansexual intercourse without forming real relationships (as far as I know). Unusual intercourse examples are permitted, of course!

 

[Zoofan15]

Melbourne Zoo has two male black swans that live as a pair. They built a nest together and were given 3-D printed eggs to incubate, but they didn’t sit on them.

This is their exhibit:

 

[Lafone]

Same sex Flamingo pairs have raised chicks at ZSL Whipsnade in the past.

Article about the 2022 raising here

Two dads raise flamingo chick at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Biaza.

 

[Dr. Loxodonta]

Same sex Flamingo pairs have raised chicks at ZSL Whipsnade in the past.

Article about the 2022 raising here

Two dads raise flamingo chick at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Biaza.

As well as at Paignton Zoo: Same-Sex Flamingo Couple At Paignton Zoo Successfully Hatch A Chick • Paignton Zoo

 

[Jana]

It´s hard to tell what zoo flamingo is LGBTQ+ or not. The same flamingo can form a same-sex pair one season and "normal" pair the very next season. Also trios of various sex-constellations are not rare in zoos (and occasionally even 4 birds migh form a breeding unit). Female-female pairs tend to break-up after first season together. Male-male pairs often last several seasons.

 

[merlin]

There are two homosexual male penguins at Dvůr Králové, Crosby and Fleury. They've even raised a little one. Otherwise zoo's in Czechia don't inform about their homosexual pairings very often, I believe Dvůr was the first to do so.

 

[GaryA]

Are these animals actually having sex? That is the only way that I would see it as a fully functioning relationship.

If it was just 2 males following their native urges to raise a chick, and doing so with another male in the absence of a female, essentially 'making do' I would accept that as a same sex relationship but there is no sexual or even romantic relationship.

 

[merlin]

Are these animals actually having sex? That is the only way that I would see it as a fully functioning relationship.

If it was just 2 males following their native urges to raise a chick, and doing so with another male in the absence of a female, essentially 'making do' I would accept that as a same sex relationship but there is no sexual or even romantic relationship.

I don't want to ruin this for you, but even human relationships can work without sex...
It isn't that unusual for male birds to form pairs, even if there are females available. And yes, they're even trying to mate.
Animals work a little different from humans, but we can still call their acting homosexual - otherwise just make up a new word for that. Anyway, this thread is simply about animal same-sex pairs in zoos, if that sounds better to you.

 

[Randomname0183]

I am aware that Oceanografic had a same-sex female gentoo penguin pair around 2020 that hatched an egg, but I am not entirely sure if the two birds, Viola and Electra, are still together or alive.

 

[Zhao yun]

I am aware of the Blue Duck breeding programme at WWT Arundel, which was ruined by the 2 males pairing up with one another instead of with the females. This obviously led to the failure of the programme.

 

[adamntitch]

there's a pair or 2 of male penguins at Edinburgh that have been known to steal eggs and rear the chicks

 

[Hvedekorn]

Odense Zoo also has (had?) a same-sex pair of male king penguins. I remember some years ago when various national media, of course tongue-in-cheek, tried to make a soap opera out of the fact that they kept stealing chicks from heterosexual pairs to raise them as their own.

 

[Mr Gharial]

there's a pair or 2 of male penguins at Edinburgh that have been known to steal eggs and rear the chicks

Odense Zoo also has (had?) a same-sex pair of male king penguins. They kept stealing chicks from heterosexual pairs to raise them as their own.

Burgers' Zoo also had egg-stealing gay penguins at some point

They really are the definition of "be gay, do crime"

 

[CMTM]

The famous King Penguin "Pesto" at Sealife Melbourne has two dads.

 

[GaryA]

I don't want to ruin this for you, but even human relationships can work without sex...
It isn't that unusual for male birds to form pairs, even if there are females available. And yes, they're even trying to mate.
Animals work a little different from humans, but we can still call their acting homosexual - otherwise just make up a new word for that. Anyway, this thread is simply about animal same-sex pairs in zoos, if that sounds better to you.

I think using the moniker LGBT etc is a misnomer. I am more than happy to accept animal same sex relationships. I own the book 'Biological Exuberance' concerning animal homosexuality. I recommend it to those with any interest in the subject.
Oddly enough, I was alerted to the book by Ricky Gervais, who included some of the material in one of his live shows.

 

[merlin]

I think using the moniker LGBT etc is a misnomer. I am more than happy to accept animal same sex relationships. I own the book 'Biological Exuberance' concerning animal homosexuality. I recommend it to those with any interest in the subject.
Oddly enough, I was alerted to the book by Ricky Gervais, who included some of the material in one of his live shows.

Everyone knows what is meant by that and that's what's important. We're on a forum, just having fun. LGBT+ is a term including terms like lesbian and gay, meaning homosexuals, and that's what matters the most here. Although yes, it is mostly used with people, it can be used with animals too - at least in amateur and inprofessional circles like this one. Needless to say, your previous post spoke about something a little different and you basically denied the existence of homosexual animals, so it is actually quite funny you're now reffering to a book like that...

 

[GaryA]

Everyone knows what is meant by that and that's what's important. We're on a forum, just having fun. LGBT+ is a term including terms like lesbian and gay, meaning homosexuals, and that's what matters the most here. Although yes, it is mostly used with people, it can be used with animals too - at least in amateur and inprofessional circles like this one. Needless to say, your previous post spoke about something a little different and you basically denied the existence of homosexual animals, so it is actually quite funny you're now reffering to a book like that...

Not at all. You clearly missed the distinction. I DO have problems with applying a catch-all label that DOESN'T apply. That is all. A matter of semantics.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Not at all. You clearly missed the distinction. I DO have problems with applying a catch-all label that DOESN'T apply. That is all. A matter of semantics.

I mean, I did specifically mention that the term "LGBTQ+" wasn't the perfect term to use since animals don't have a gender identity, but what other term would you have suggested?

"Gay animals" doesn't include bi- or pansexual
"Queer animals" isn't specific enough since queer just means "different sexual or gender orientation than the norm". And for penguins or bonobos, being gay/pan is pretty normal
"Animals in zoos that are gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or have other types of relationships that aren't heterosexual" wouldn't have fit on the screen properly

"LGBTQ+ animals" is fine.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Artis recently put out a post on their social media about their gay Western Eurasian griffon vultures, who are currently raising a chick. This couple has been together since 2018, and they also have another gay couple who raised a chick in 2017

 

[MRJ]

Everyone knows what is meant by that and that's what's important. We're on a forum, just having fun. LGBT+ is a term including terms like lesbian and gay, meaning homosexuals, and that's what matters the most here. Although yes, it is mostly used with people, it can be used with animals too - at least in amateur and inprofessional circles like this one. Needless to say, your previous post spoke about something a little different and you basically denied the existence of homosexual animals, so it is actually quite funny you're now reffering to a book like that...

I've got no problems with people having a bit of fun with this. However, we really have no idea what is behind these behaviors, and it takes an anthropomorphic leap to apply human labels as if established fact.

This is especially so as we know, for instance, that a lot of homosexual behavior occurs in prisons and other single sex institutions which has nothing to do with Gay culture as we generally understand it.