African penguins Pedro (2nd R) and Buddy (R) are seen with other penguins at the Toronto Zoo. The Toronto Zoo announced they will separate Pedro and Buddy after zookeepers noticed behaviour denoting a gay relationship between the two. (Reuters/Mark Blinch)
It appears a female has come between one of Canada's celebrity couples. Toronto's zoo split up a pair of male penguins whose affection for each other drew headlines last month and jokes about "Brokeback Iceberg."
The zoo said on Monday Buddy and Pedro have been officially
separated and Buddy has mated with a female. Pedro has yet to get lucky, but officials say it's not for a lack of trying.
Zoo officials said, the birds' separation was necessary because penguins are an endangered species and the two needed to mate with females.
Curator Tom Mason describes their bond as social, not sexual, and says when the birds rejoin the general population, they are likely to stay with their female matches and go their separate ways.