'Loving' gay penguins to be separated at Toronto Zoo

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It's said they p-p-p-pick a partner for life, so 'loving' gay penguins Pedro and Buddy are likely to be broken-hearted when staff separate them - in an attempt to preserve their rare breed.

The two African penguins, who live at Toronto Zoo, are set to be separated and paired with a female in the hopes they will 'bond and breed'.

According to the Mirror, Bill Rapley, the zoo's executive director of conservation and wildlife, told ABCNews.com: 'The males will be put in with a specific female so they have the chance to get to know one another, and if they bond, that's what we're looking for.'

However, experts have pointed out that, once they've chose a mate, penguins are a monogamous breed who stay together for life.

Pedro, 10, and Buddy, 20, actually arrived at the zoo to take part in a breeding programme

Tom Mason, spokesman for Toronto Zoo, Canada, told The Sun: 'The two girls have been following [Pedro and Buddy], we just have to get the boys interested in looking at them.'

He added that if the species was not endangered, the zoo would be happy to let them 'do their thing'.

But don't worry, the separation will only last as long as it takes to mate with their female partners, and then the pair will be reunited.

Toronto Zoo is set in the beautiful Rouge Valley and, at 710 acres, is one of the largest zoos in the world.

It's home to over 5,000 animals from 500 species, and has over six miles of walking trails.

Visit torontozoo.com for more information.

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