Oh joy. Oh heartache.

Last week I learned of an “awwwe” inspiring, heart warming/breaking story. Thanks Philip for telling me this story. Thanks for brightening, then quickly ruining my day. Roy and Silo. *sniffile* I can get through this. I can. Roy and Silo are two male chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan and for six years the were inseparable. They entwine their necks, built a nest together, and showed no interest in female penguins. Homosexuality is hardly a rare occurrence in the animal kingdom. Mallards, dolphins, apes, elephants, giraffes, lions, sheep, and many others have been observed as displaying homosexual behavior. But Roy and Silo...oh Roy and Silo. They have a story.

“At one time, the two seemed so desperate to incubate an egg together that they put a rock in their nest and sat on it, keeping it warm in the folds of their abdomens, said their chief keeper, Rob Gramzay. Finally, he gave them a fertile egg that needed care to hatch. Things went perfectly. Roy and Silo sat on it for the typical 34 days until a chick, Tango, was born. For the next two and a half months they raised Tango, keeping her warm and feeding her food from their beaks until she could go out into the world on her own. Mr. Gramzay is full of praise for them.”
- The New York Times, February 7,2004

It even inspired a book! That’s right. Get that head tilt just so and soften those eyes.

Now – valiant reader, be strong. And continue on.

“[It] all ended when Scrappy, a single female newly arrived from SeaWorld in San Diego, caught Silo's eye.
Silo promptly moved in with Scrappy, building a new nest with her. Zookeepers were at a loss to explain Silo's sudden conversion.
‘Why does anyone bond? Why do people want to get married and divorced?’ said Dr. Dee Boersma, penguin expert at the University of Washington in Seattle. ‘Presumably, they've got their reasons.’
Silo and his hot-feathered home-wrecker have yet to produce an egg, but they've been busy trying.
On Thursday, Roy, all alone, sat disconsolately at the edge of the penguin area, staring at the wall.
- Fox News, September 16,2006

I have tissues here if you need any.