They were the ultimate penguin couple, a world-renowned same-sex pair whose love was taught in schools and inspired a wave of joy parades. Now Magic, mourning Sphen’s death, has led his community in a tribute song.
Penguins Mourn the Loss of Beloved Same-Sex Partner in Touching Tribute
Sphen died earlier this month just before his 12th birthday, the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium said Thursday, a long life for a captive gentoo penguin that can live up to 13 years.
Sphen’s death is a tragedy for the penguin colony, the community, and all the people who have been affected by or touched by Sphen and Magic’s story,” the aquarium stated. Director Richard Dilly says the project is a wonderful example of co-parenting by a same-sex couple.
To address the loss of his companion, 8-year-old Magic was brought to Sphen’s body “so he knew his companion was not coming back,” Dilly said.
“He immediately began singing, which was reciprocated beautifully by the colony,” Dilly added.
Sphen and Magic shot to stardom in 2018 when they began collecting rocks to create a nest and became nearly inseparable, often seen walking and swimming together.
The duo were together for nearly six years — about half their average lifespan — and soon after began expanding their own family. Clancy was born in 2020, the same time Lara was born in 2018.Lara was nicknamed Sphengic by the public in honour of her parents.
Professor Vincent Savolainen, from the Organismal Biology branch of Imperial College London, told NBC News that it was a wonderful example of co-parenting by a same-sex couple.
The parents could alternate between patrolling the perimeters of their nest to keep out burglars and incubating the egg.
Zookeepers said Sphen and Magic have had natural parenting and were given a real egg by a pair who had two eggs so they wouldn’t be excluded from the breeding season.
According to experts, homosexual bonds between animals, including birds, have been widely documented and are often perceived as a desire by the couple to raise a baby together.
“It is quite common in birds for two of them to join together to raise a baby together,” said Savolainen. “This can manifest for more than one reason, it can often be good – for example, two males may raise a baby together because they are stronger and can protect the egg better,” she said.
“Whether this is homosexual behaviour can be debated,” she added.
Their love story was more than just a reputation for the zoo, as they became icons of homosexuality in Australia and beyond.
The zoo claims the two were spotted together outside of the usual breeding season for gentoo penguins, which is considered special.
The celebrity story has been widely used in educational materials for children in New South Wales last year to teach them about “love in all shapes and sizes,” as well as being showcased at the Sydney Happiness Parade in 2021.
In a statement on Thursday, the zoo cited that Sphen and Magic’s influence as a symbol of equality is immeasurable, and goes beyond just being a sweet love story.
The pair have been featured in several books, documentaries and even the Netflix series Standard, and their popularity has become a way for the zoo to draw attention to threats In addition to species, there are also issues such as pollutants and global warming.
The Sydney duo aren’t always the easiest same-sex couple to make headlines with.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, is home to male penguin pair Elmer and Lima, who became proud parents in 2022.
A male couple at a Dutch zoo took over the nest of a lesbian duo in 2020, a year after they stole an egg from a heterosexual couple. In 2019, the London Sealife Aquarium welcomed the first penguin chick conceived without genus, born to penguins Rocky and Marama. The chick was 4 months old at the time.
Rachel Ankler, a spokeswoman for the Sydney Aquarium, told NBC News that an update on Magic’s status and the upcoming breeding season will be shared in the coming weeks.
“Savolainen commented that due to Magic’s advanced age, he will not enter into a relationship with another penguin.” “But there is a chance he could be with another male or female penguin.”