Male penguins face split

TORONTO – Toronto’s zoo is splitting up a pair of male penguins whose affection has drawn headlines and jokes about “Brokeback Iceberg.”

The African penguins have shared the nest they built since coming to the zoo about a year ago. But since the penguins are an endangered species, zoo officials plan to separate Pedro and Buddy so they can mate with females.

The pair have what’s known as a “social bond,” but it’s not necessarily sexual, Tom Mason, the zoo’s curator of birds and invertebrates, said Wednesday.

The zoo has received hundreds of calls about the pair. Mason said he got a call from a group called the Canadian Society for Gay Animals.

The story of the same-sex pair has gone viral online, leading to cheeky YouTube videos. Late-night TV comics have jumped into the icy waters of penguin passion. Jimmy Kimmel riffed on the story during a recent monologue, claiming the lovebirds were spotted at a Lady Gaga concert.

But it’s really not the way it looks, Mason said.

“Penguins are so social they need that … company,” said Mason.