London Zoo is holding a Pride weekend to celebrate several gay couples within its 93 Humboldt penguin population.
The Regent’s park zoo has several same-sex couples and has decided to celebrate Pride month as a nod to gay penguin couples like Ronnie and Reggie, who famously adopted an abandoned egg.
Zookeepers are announcing the decision with a banner that bears the slogan: “Some penguins are gay, get over it.”
The message was inspired by the “Get Over It” campaign run by equal rights charity Stonewall.
A Zoo spokesman said: “Ronnie and Reggie got together in 2014, and famously adopted an egg that was abandoned by another couple a year later.
“The pair shared parenting duties of their chick, Kyton, until he fledged the nest.
“They remain as strong as ever and are often found snuggled up in their nest box together.”
The couple share their home with the 91 other penguins, including fellow same-sex couples Nadja and Zimmer, as well as Dev and Martin.
A chick called Rainbow, who hatched during Price month last year, will also celebrate her first birthday this weekend.
As part of the celebration next week, the zoo will be holding a special Pride-themed night on July 5.
Visitors will learn about mating, gender and same-sex couples within the animal kingdom.
London Zoo’s team will also take part in London Pride Parade on Saturday July 6.
A “Rainbow Families” event has also been planned on Sunday July 7, where drag performers will tell stories about “being who you are and loving who you want”.
More than 450 species of animals have been observed having same-sex relationships that include sex, courtship, and co-parenting.
In May, an aquarium in Dingle in Ireland also revealed that more than half of their penguins were in same-sex relationships and adopting chicks.
