Unlike Gulf states nearby, and Kuwait which is hoping to start a gaydar test to ban gays from moving to the country, Israel is extremely tolerant when it comes to its gay community. So much that it’s promoting the “free” love of its latest lesbian couple, two penguins at the zoo.
Two Jackass penguins Suki and Chupchikoni at the Ramat Gan Safari Park outside of Tel Aviv have chosen each other as mates. Penguins, like some people, mate for life.
At first it was thought they were a male and female, but after a blood test checking for malaria, it was determined that Chupchikoni was in fact a female.
The two girls have set up a home together by collecting nesting material.
“We had no doubt about Suki, as she is quite small,” said Tamuz Setti, head of the Safari Avian Department to the local newspaper Haaretz. She said that there were plenty of male options but that they chose each other.
Gay behaviour in the animal kingdom has been charted in penguins as far back as 1911. In fact it is quite common in all sorts of animals in the animal kingdom. Not just humans and penguins. But if you are an insect, you may be gay by accident.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
