The Toronto Zoo

Most Canadians will remember when the Toronto Zoo decided to separate the much loved gay endangered African penguins last November. Buddy and Pedro were paired with females as part of a breeding program to help the endangered species of penguin to survive. Some people believed that the penguins should have been left together because they were a pair while others recognized the necessity of ensuring the survival of the species. In the end, Buddy was paired with Farai and Pedro was paired with Thandiwey. Reports over the last few months have indicated that the penguins are adapting to their new pairings and are doing well.

Eggs were laid last week in the penguin house at the Toronto Zoo and the question now is who do the eggs belong to. The Zoo has yet to provide further details about the eggs however in the coming weeks I am sure we will know more about the parents of the eggs.

As a Canadian overseas, it has been really wonderful being able to follow the news back home. Last time Buddy and Pedro were in the news, a study was published in the newspaper about the value Canadians put on our polar bears. The study findings indicate that Canadians are willing to spend $6.3 billion per year to make sure that the bears do not disappear. This amount is about the equivalent of an iPad per household per year. Each bear is 'worth' $420,000 which is more than a house. The polar bear is an iconic and very Canadian symbol and it would be a huge loss if the bears became extinct. I had a good laugh on this particular day because one of the staff members at my placement came downstairs and asked me what was making headline news back home. I told him about our polar bears that are worth more than a house and the fact that Canadians were quite upset about the separation of our gay African penguins. I love my country.