In a Wildlife park in Kent two male penguins have become surrogate fathers.
Two male Humboldt Penguins called Kermit and Jumbs at Wingham Wildlife Park have been made surrogate parents for an egg, which has just hatched. The egg was abandoned by the mother.
Head of birds and mammals at the park Becky Johnson explained: ‘It was a shame to see the hetrosexual pair leave their egg, largely because the male deserted his share of the duties.’
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Park owner Tony Binskin said ‘These two have so far proven to be the best penguin parents we have had. But we have had to bring in two new males to keep the balance of the group.
‘We are still very much starting our breeding efforts with this species, and this is only our second year, but having such good surrogate parents available should we need them is a huge bonus for us.
‘Being brought up by individuals of the same species always has a better outcome for animals being reared. While we will intervene and hand rear animals if necessary, it is something we prefer to avoid.’
