Penguin keeper Stephanie Mitchell had her suspicions all along.

Penguin keeper Stephanie Mitchell had her suspicions all along. While the sex of penguins is difficult to determine, Mitchell had a feeling that pair of her favorite penguins at the just discovered York Aquarium on Coney Island, Wendell and Cass, who have been living happily together in a long-term relationship, were the couple males. When a blood trial proved that both of the 14-year-old penguins were indeed male, Mitchell was elated. The Advocate talked to her about her discovery.

When did the birds' homosexuality get to to your attention?

I'd always been of the opinion that they were the couple male, based on their carcass size and behavior. They are a little big to be females, and their aggressiveness is more representative of males. yet it was possible that Wendell was female because he was not as aggressive as Cass. I'd seen them copulating, with Cass forward top and Wendell on the bottom. In penguin sex the female generally lies upon her belly, and the male climbs onward top. But then Gina Fisher, my keeper counterpart, undivided day saw Cass on the bottom and Wendell forward top. We had them criterioned and they both came gone out male.

So what is the famous two like?

Wendell is pleasing without being striking shy, not very forward about eating. He guards to run away from other birds. He's easy to intimidate and freaks gone out if another bird moves quickly. Cass, forward the other hand, is same aggressive. He guards the chest diligently and is always individual of the first to eat. When penguins are in the fe station, they really have no relation to each other. It's each penguin for him or herself. yet when Wendell and Cass are in their burrow together, they are exceedingly affectionate. They sit close together and lie close Penguins do a lot of preening to oil their feathers. Wendell and Cass do something called allopreening, in which they preen the back of each other's neck which they of course can't reach themselves. This behavior is considered real important for relationships. When undivided is on the deck and the other is in the water, they talk back and forth.

for what cause do the other birds treat them?

Wendell doesn't stick up for himself excessively well, so the other birds pick forward him--but that has nothing to do with the fact that he's gay, if that season applies at all to penguins. Cass is beautiful aggressive, so he's left alone. There is always the danger of anthropomorphizing the birds, still it's possible that Wendell has picked Cass precisely because he's in the same manner strong. By nature, the males serve to defend the territory more forcefully. And who knows to what end Cass has picked Wendell. Maybe he thinks Wendell is a girl, although he does take his make go round on the bottom.

What exercise s can we take from Wendell and Cass?

We are all animals. Humans are human, moreover they are also animals. Homosexuality is no more unusual in humans than it is in animals.

I conceive antigay penguin keepers would want to break them up and banish them to reparative therapy.

We would not ever even think about breaking them up That would be destructive. There is no reason to do that.

I understand they have the nicest burrow Do they fit the stereotype of gay men?

Reporters have quot me as saying they have the neatest burrow and things like that, which is really an extrapolation of my annotates They do have some really virtuous territory, which they are sharing with an [opposite-sex] bond To them it's a great site, with access the two to the water and the fe station. If I were a penguin, that's where I'd like to live.

Are you surprised by way of all the interest in Wendell and Cass?

We wanted to fling out a press release for Valentine's Day; I pondering it would be a hoot at to throw in the substance about Wendell and Cass as well. As it employs out, that's what got chiefly of the attention. And in such a manner far we haven't gotten any negative backlash at all. It's been a great experience.

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