“You will never get to see anything like this again,” explained Renee Howell, a penguin keeper at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. The statement followed a heartbreaking scene that took place in the aftermath of Sphen’s death, a penguin who had become a symbol of equality for maintaining a same-sex relationship with his partner, Magic.
Aquarium staff couldn’t hold back their tears as the gentoo penguin colony was brought to see him for the last time. Mourning the loss of their friend, the animals engaged in a deeply emotional display never before witnessed by the employees.
“It’s one in a million,” Howell said. Magic began to sing, and the other penguins soon joined him in chorus.
