Lovelorn: Pepper, a Magellanic penguin at the San Francisco Zoo, has mostly kept to himself since his breakup (Cindy Chew/The Examiner)

Jilted zoo penguin fails to find love this season

By: Katie Worth
April 25, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — Love has not proven to be in the stars this year for penguin Pepper.

The Magellanic penguin — famously dumped by his long-term same-sex partner Harry for recently widowed female penguin Linda last year — did not find new love this breeding season, according to his keepers at the San Francisco Zoo.

In fact, Pepper has not been acting entirely himself lately, said zookeeper Anthony Brown. While the other single penguins at the exhibit have been running around in pairs or cliques, forging friendships or budding romances with other penguins, Pepper has mostly stayed in his borrow, keeping to himself.

When he does leave his borrow, he’s frequently confronted with lingering tension with his ex, Harry, and his rival, Linda.

Brown said the tension hasn’t devolved into the “all-out brawl” that took place right after the breakup last year, which required zookeepers to separate the animals for several weeks. However, because Harry and Linda have a neighboring borrow to Pepper’s, the penguins frequently run into each other and will often take aggressive postures and stare each other down, according to the zookeeper.

Meanwhile, Harry and Linda are incubating an egg, but the egg will likely be reared by another penguin couple, because of lingering concern over a respiratory infection Harry suffered over the winter.

Harry and Pepper had been one of San Francisco Zoo’s most devoted couples for several years, and they successfully reared a chick, Chuck Norris, two years ago. But after Linda’s partner died, she and Harry began spending more time together. By the time the breeding season began last year, Harry had chosen Linda over Pepper.

Source