Same-sex NZ penguin couple bring up chick together

They legalised gay marriage back in 2013 and it seems New Zealand’s one love approach applies to the animal kingdom too, with the adorable news that a same-sex pair of penguins are busily raising a family in Auckland.

The king penguins, dubbed Thelma and Louise, call Kelly Tarlton's SEA LIFE Aquarium home, and adopted the chick after its mum Shaq, was abandoned by her partner.

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"Shaq unfortunately had her partner leave her, so instead of being able to swap and change every three days with her partner, she had to incubate the egg by herself, SEA LIFE Aquarium staffer Ebony Dwipayana told the NZ Herald.

"So we actually made that decision to foster that egg, and Thelma and Louise were lucky enough to take care of it and have got a successful chick out of it.

The 24-year-old mums are the only same-sex pair at the aquarium, but this kind of coupling has been found in other king penguin populations.

"They actually love having a chick to look after,” Ebony told the publication.

“Obviously they are not able to have their own, so the fact that they can still raise a healthy chick is amazing for them and it's quite an experience for them to share."

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