Paignton Zoo hosts a chick hatching from a gay flamingo pair, Curtis and Arthur.
This remarkable event marks the first successful hatching of Chilean Flamingo chicks at the zoo since 2018. The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so this pair have adopted it.” The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so this pair have adopted it.”
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Curtis and Arthur are part of an initiative called Love Lagoon — inspired by the reality TV series Love Island — which aims to better document and engage the public with social media updates of the flamingo couples.
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Earlier this year, Paignton Zoo launched a special Valentine’s Day campaign encouraging the public to name their flamingos. The “Name a Flamingo,” initiative was a success, with suggestions and votes being made through the zoo’s Instagram channel. Among the other flamingo couples who have successfully hatched chicks are Florence and Flame, Frenchie and Del, and Flossie and Lando.
Paignton Zoo’s breeding program really shows the bird team’s dedication in fighting these issues and making sure the species survive. Chilean flamingos, native to South America, face several threats in the wild, including egg-harvesting, tourism disturbance, and habitat degradation due to industrial mining operations.
“It’s a testament to the skill and hard work put in by the bird team, and we are hopeful that we may see more eggs hatch over the coming days and weeks,” Smallbones added.
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Can flamingos be gay?
Call it ironic that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance, but this isn’t the first time same-sex bird pairs have become parents. Two gay flamingo fathers adopted an abandoned chick at ZSL’s Whipsnade Zoological Park in England.
A pair of (childless) gay flamingos Freddie Mercury and Lance Bass also made headlines in 2022 after breaking up following a three-year relationship.
Same-sex behavior isn’t unique to flamingos; many bird species, including penguins (like Sphen and Magic), and swans (like Billy and Elliot) also display homosexual behavior. These observations highlight the diversity of animal behaviors and challenge the notion that heterosexuality is the only natural sexual orientation in the animal kingdom.
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