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Same-sex penguin couple fails to hatch egg in Berlin

Berlin zoo’s star couple, Skipper and Ping, are desperate to start a family. But they had some sad news this week.

Same-sex penguin couple fails to hatch egg in Berlin
Skipper and Ping in Berlin zoo. Photo: DPA

The two male emperor penguins had adopted an egg in their quest to have a little one of their own. 

But Berlin Zoo said Thursday that the egg “burst open” on September 2nd and it had not been fertilized.

Staff at Berlin Zoo had given the amorous couple an egg, which they swiftly began to incubate in August, as The Local reported.

The egg came from another pair who in recent years “have not got along 100 percent and who have therefore often damaged their eggs”, said zookeepers Norbert Zahmel.

Skipper and Ping, both 10-years-old, were an “excellent” choice to become adoptive parents, he had added.

They had even tried in the past to hatch a stone in their bid to become parents.

But staff are hopeful they will get a chick of their own.  A spokesman told The Local: “Even though Skipper and Ping did not have any luck with this year's breed, they will surely get the opportunity to become parents again in the future.”

The pair moved to Berlin from Hamburg's Hagenbeck Zoo in April, and have been inseparable ever since.

Gay penguins of either sex are not unusual, and can be found in the wild and in captivity.

New arrivals

The news came after the zoo welcomed panda twins. Meng Meng gave birth to two gorgeous cubs on Saturday.

“Meng Meng and her two offspring coped well with the birth and are in good health,” said Zoo director Andreas Knieriem on Monday.

READ ALSO: Berlin panda Meng Meng gives birth to twins

The newborn pandas. Photo: DPA

The first boy was born shortly before 7pm on Saturday. Almost an hour later the second followed.

The new panda mother and the offspring's father Jiao Qing have been living in Berlin Zoo since summer 2017. They are both on loan from a reserve in Chengdu, China.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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