Two Gentoo penguin chicks born at Indianapolis Zoo
Posted: Jan 7, 2021 4:26 PM EDT
The Indianapolis Zoo announced two Gentoo penguin chicks hatched just a few days before Christmas. One of the chicks was born to a same-sex pair of penguins - the first for the zoo.
Zoo officials say same-sex pairings happen in the wild and at other zoos.
The two first-time dads became parents when their chick hatched December 15. A female that is paired with another penguin laid the egg and left it with the male couple. They have been caring for it ever since.
The zoo says the two fathers have taken turns tending to the nest, incubating the egg and feeding the chick.
The other chick hatched on December 8 to a male-female pair who are also first-time parents.
These are the first two penguin chicks hatched at the zoo since 2012 and the first Gentoo chicks since 2011.