This penguin may look harmless, but is it harbouring dark sexual fantasies? photo: Liam Q
The background
A pamphlet has emerged detailing apparent sexual depravity among penguins. Written by George Levick, a scientist with the 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition, Sexual Habits of the Adélie Penguin contains observations of necrophilia and sexual coercion and abuse, carried out by gangs of “hooligan” penguins.
According to the BBC, Levick’s account was considered so shocking that it was left out of the official version of his published work on penguins, with the Natural History Museum suggesting a compromise: “The then keeper of zoology at the museum, Sidney Harmer, decided that 100 copies of the graphic account should be circulated to a select group of scientists.” Only two copies remain, one of which was recently discovered among the museum’s papers.
This isn’t the first time the sexual behaviour of penguins has hit the headlines. In 2011, a Canada zoo sparked outrage after deciding to separate “gay” penguin couple Buddy and Pedro in order to encourage them to find female mates. The story was dubbed “Brokeback Iceberg”.
But will the latest allegations of necrophilia and sexual abuse damage the penguin community’s cute image for good?
Calm down, dears, they’re just penguins
“What is happening here is the projection of human values onto a different species,” wrote Tim Stanley on a Telegraph blog. We seem to forget that penguins – and indeed other animals – don’t make moral choices, or have a sense of sexual identity. “At the same time that we more ruthlessly exploit animals than ever before, we also seem determined to find qualities within them that we can empathise with. We want to turn them into mirrors of ourselves,” Stanley said.
Further research clarifies penguin ‘peversion’
Douglas Russell, curator of birds at the Natural History Museum, told The Observer that this apparently depraved behavior can be easily explained: young adult penguins are sexually inexperienced and simply don’t understand how to behave during mating season. “A dead penguin, lying with its eyes half-open, is very similar in appearance to a compliant female. The result is the so-called necrophilia that Levick witnessed and which so disgusted him,” Russell explained.
Brokeback Iceberg: Watch a video about Toronto zoo’s gay penguins