Gay penguin couple Stan and Olli is on the move.

The two penguins were originally brought to the Berlin Zoo as a part of its breeding program. But it quickly became clear Stan and Olli had eyes only for each other.

Now, the two will join another gay penguin couple — Juan and Carlos — at a zoo in Hamburg, Germany.

"They’re gay, as far as we know," Berlin Zoo spokeswoman Christiane Reiss told The Local. “They never bred. And when it came to courtship, they only mated with one another.”

If you feel like you’ve read about gay penguins before, that’s because it’s not exactly uncommon. Researchers have studied gay animals across multiple species, but because penguins form long-term bonds, many stories have been written about gay penguin couples.

Two penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York — Silo and Roy — even became parents when they incubated a donated egg. Silo eventually left Roy for a female penguin, but the couple was together for six years.

The visibility of Stan and Olli is also somewhat symbolic in Germany, where marriage equality is still not legal. Gay couples also face uphill battles when it comes to adoption.

For more on this story, click here.

Join the conversation

You Might Also Like