A penguin whose same-sex romance made them global icons has mourned the death of his beloved partner by bursting into song.
Sphen and his partner Magic shot to stardom in 2018 when they fell in love in Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, later adopting and raising two chicks together.
International interest in the couple grew as they shared parenting duties and raised their children together. Their partnership was celebrated by a float in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, included in the Australian education curriculum and even saw them featured in the Netflix series Atypical. Their relationship has also been recorded in books and film documentaries.
But after his health began to rapidly deteriorate earlier this week, the aquarium’s veterinary team made the difficult decision to euthanize Sphen and end his suffering, just a few days before his 12th birthday.
When penguins lose their partners in the wild, they often wander around looking for them. But in an unusual move, keepers at the zoo instead decided to show Magic Sphen’s body so he could see that he had passed and understand why his partner wouldn’t be returning to him.
‘The moment we showed him (Magic) to Sphen, he started singing, and then the other penguins also joined in, singing with him. So it was very touching,’ said aquarium supervisor Renee Howell.
‘It was a very beautiful moment, the air was just filled with their singing. It showed the impact Sphen had on his partner and that Magic actually recognised that his partner was there.
‘Soon after, he became quite protective of his partner and that was a very emotional time for us, but we needed to do that in order for him to hopefully comprehend what had happened.’
Howell said staff at the aquarium had never seen this kind of behaviour occur before, and weren’t quite sure what the singing meant.
‘But in that moment for us, it was a beautiful send-off’ she added, and said there wasn’t a dry eye in the exhibit during the performance.
Aquarium general manager Richard Dilly described Sphen as an ‘icon’ whose unique relationship with Magic had made a positive impact on the world.
‘Sphen and Magic’s love story captivated the world and it’s been an honour to welcome local and international fans, some of which travelled long distances to see them in real life,’ he said.
‘Sphen and Magic shared a bond unlike most other penguin couples – they could even be found together outside of the breeding season, which is unique for gentoo penguins,’ Dilly added.
Magic is now entering his first breeding season without his partner, but is still collecting pebbles for a nest, which keepers say is a promising sign.
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