Buddy and Pedro, the Toronto Zoo's "gay penguins," have split, according to reports.
The Canadian zoo's decision separate the pair of male African penguins, in order to encourage the endangered birds to mate with females, sparked an international outcry.
Eventually the zoo promised that Buddy and Pedro would be reunited after mating time.
More from GlobalPost: Canada's gay penguins to be reunited by spring
But now it seems "a female has come between one of Canada’s celebrity couples," the Canadian Press reported.
Buddy, who is 21 and had a female mate for 10 years before she died, has successfully mated with a female named Farai.
"Pedro has yet to get lucky, but officials say it’s not for a lack of trying," the CP said.
Curator Tom Mason says when the birds rejoin the general population, they are likely to stay with their female matches, and their bond will be no more.


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