New York’s bid for platypus diplomacy hit a scandalous snag in the 1950s when a female platypus named Penelope was accused of faking a pregnancy to avoid her mate, Cecil.
Platypuses are typically solitary creatures, but New York had been promised a pair of these unique Australian marsupials. while Cecil,the male,was reportedly lovesick,Penelope seemed less enthusiastic about their arranged union. Media reports at the time painted Penelope as a “brazen hussy” and “one of those saucy females who like to keep a male on a string.”
The pair’s relationship took a dramatic turn in 1953 with a four-day fling, described in vivid detail as “all-night orgies of love,” reportedly fueled by “copious quantities of crayfish and worms.” Following this intense period, Penelope began nesting, and the world eagerly anticipated the birth of platypups. This event was poised to be a significant scientific milestone, as it would mark onyl the second instance of platypuses bred in captivity and the first outside of Australia.
After four months of special treatment for Penelope,including double rations,zookeepers,accompanied by a crowd of eager reporters,checked her nest.To their surprise,no babies were found. Rather, they discovered a seemingly disgruntled Penelope. She was promptly accused of fabricating her pregnancy, a move allegedly intended to secure more worms and avoid Cecil.
“It was a whole scandal,” recounted Mr. Cowan, noting that Penelope’s reputation never recovered from the incident. Years later, in 1957, Penelope vanished from her enclosure, triggering an extensive, weeks-long search and rescue operation. The Bronx Zoo eventually declared her “presumed lost and probably dead.”
Tragically, a day after the search for Penelope concluded, Cecil died. The media attributed his demise to a “broken heart.” With their passing, any hope for accomplished platypus diplomacy seemed to vanish.
The Bronx Zoo attempted to revive the platypus exchange program in 1958 by acquiring more platypuses. However, these new arrivals proved finicky and did not survive for even a year. Subsequently,Australia enacted stricter laws,banning the export of platypuses. The only two platypuses to have left Australia as then have resided at the San Diego Zoo, arriving in 2019.
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