Earlier this year, Rocky and Marama, the same-sex penguin couple at Sea Life London Aquarium, made headlines after they decided to adopt a chick.
Now, the gay penguin couple is going to become the first parents to raise the world’s first genderless penguin chick.
According to the Sea Life London Aquarium, the 4-month-old penguin chick “will be the first of its kind in the history of the famous London aquarium not to be characterized as male or female.”
Graham McGrath, the general manager of Sea Life London Aquarium, released a statement about the historic move.
The statement said, “While the decision may ruffle a few feathers, gender neutrality in humans has only recently become a widespread topic of conversation.”
The statement added, “However, it is completely natural for penguins to develop genderless identities as they grow into mature adults.”
For identification purposes, the staff at the aquarium has tagged the 4-month-old penguin with a purple band that says “gender-neutral”.
Usually, newborn penguins are given names and colored tags depending on their genders at the aquarium.
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Sea life explained why they decided to choose the chick to become the first “genderless” penguin in the world.
Sea Life said the penguin “captured the Aquarist team and guest’s imaginations after it was successfully adopted by two female penguins.”
In a statement that was released by Sea Life London Aquarium, it stated, “This was the first time we had successfully adopted a chick onto a same-sex couple and to mark the parenting achievements of Rocky and Marama in helping to develop the chick into a happy and healthy penguin.”
It added, “It made sense to continue to allow it to be identified more naturally by staff and guests at the aquarium in the future.”