Two male African penguins who are a couple wanting to be dads stole an entire nest from a lesbian couple at a zoo in the Netherlands.
According to the zookeeper, the male pairing is considered the dominant "power" couple among the 17 penguins in the enclosure at the Dierenpark zoo in Amersfoort.
The two male penguins are currently taking turns caring for the eggs in the stolen nest—with one of the penguins sitting on the eggs to keep them warm while his mate forages for fish.
Since the eggs belonged to a female couple, zookeepers think it is unlikely the eggs were fertilized and would hatch.
Dutch News said this wasn't the first pilfering incident by the aspiring dads.
Last year, the same male couple stole an egg from another penguin family. But after it failed to produce a chick, they remained childless.
The naughty couple's recent antics proved they were not ready to give up on becoming dads.
Homosexuality is common among penguins—a species that mates for life—and there have been several reports of gay penguins fostering chicks.
Zookeeper Sander Drost said of the dominant male couple:
"After obtaining an egg to hatch last year, they even managed to hijack an entire nest this year at an unguarded moment. It turns out they are a very determined couple."
"Each couple in the enclosure have their own shelter but this couple has commandeered two."
Drost added the lesbian couple is expected to build another nest shortly.
Queerty noted there were two reported instances at zoos where eggs that have either been stolen or given to same-sex penguin couplings have hatched.
A recent example occurred in August when a female couple at the Oceanogràfic Valencia aquarium in Valencia, Spain became first-time parents when the egg zookeepers had given them hatched.
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