Animal love stories at Como Zoo and Conservatory
Animal love stories from the Como Zoo
Polar bears, penguins and orangutans at the Como Zoo all have their own love stories. FOX 9's Hannah Flood shares the story behind these animal romances.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The zoo is full of love this Valentine's Day. Allison Jungheim, senior keeper at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, introduces us to some of the couples who call the zoo home.
Orangutans in love at Como Zoo
The backstory:
One couple, orangutans Markisa and Jambu, have been together for more than 20 years. She’s 38 and he’s 40 years old. They have two children together and aren’t afraid to show some public displays of affection.
"They are definitely little love bugs," Jungheim said. "They flirt by making kissing noises like squeaks and raspberries and things like that and they’ll interact with each other when it comes to sharing food."
Polar bear drama
Dig deeper:
Love has a lot more drama over in the polar bear habitat. Nan is a 30-year-old female, one of the oldest female polar bears in North America. Her and her longtime partner Neil, a 29-year-old who is the oldest male polar bear in North America, enjoy snuggling up together.
"They love each other. It’s so great to see them snuggling with each other and they sleep next to each other and they share food sometimes," Jungheim said.
Sometimes love can be complicated though. A few years ago, zookeepers introduced 5-year-old Kulu to the mix. He immediately fell in love with Nan, regardless of the age gap.
"I think it’s a good thing because Nan has the experience of an older female and she knows how to show a younger male the ropes and how to show them the proper way to deal with a lady." Jungheim said.
Jungheim says they hope to one day find a more age-appropriate partner for Kulu so he can potentially become a father one day.
Penguins mate for life
A penguin couple at the Como Zoo. (FOX 9)
A formal affair:
If that love triangle sounds like drama, try living in one habitat with five other couples. That’s the situation for the African Penguins, who typically mate for life.
"It’s your own little soap opera," Jungheim said.
The penguins sometimes fight for territory and live in long, committed partnerships. But, when one of those partners passes, there can be a little bit of a shakeup. Jungheim says, for the most part, these five couples live in peace.
"Companionship is a really important part of everything, so you want them to have a partner," Jungheim said.
Zookeepers in love
The backstory:
Jungheim herself even has a zoo love story.
"My husband works here at the zoo in the primate building with the gorillas and we met here at Como Zoo in 2001," Jungheim said.
Her then boyfriend even proposed to her while she was hosting a show with Sparky the seal. On their wedding day, they stopped by the zoo for a kiss from Sparky. More than 20 years later they’re still both working at Como Zoo as zookeepers.