Harbin PolarLand penguins wedding
The road to parental bliss has not been easy. Each hatching season these two lovebirds have gone into daddy mode, outfitting their nest and generally preparing for an egg (male penguins, as Happy Feet and March of the Penguins taught us, are the stay-at-home dads of the animal world.) When that egg didn't come, they resorted to stealing eggs from other parents.
In response to the behavior, park staff first attempted to separate them, sparking protests by activists. Eventually, they decided to just give them eggs laid by an inexperienced female, and, unsurprisingly, the two turned out to be perfect parents and immediately settled down.
Last week when the twin chicks hatched, they were split up in order to give them a better chance at survival. When penguins lay twin eggs and actually manage to hatch both, it's quite rare that both chicks will survive.
Caretakers are hoping the gay penguins will do equally well with the live chick as they did with incubating eggs.
There are conflicting reports as to whether the two parents are married. This article suggests there was a ceremony, but Chinese media says that was actually a different gay penguin couple in Wuhan. Who knew Chinese aquariums were so progressive?
If your stone cold heart still hasn't warmed up to the couple, below you can watch the story of the trials and tribulations they've gone through for their love:
