Japanese zoo fails to breed two hyenas after both turned out to be male

The Guardian ^ | October 3, 2014

[Scoutmaster]

Zookeepers in Japan have abandoned a years-long attempt to have two spotted hyenas mate and reproduce as both turned out to be male.

The Maruyama zoo in Sapporo, northern Japan, said in a statement this week that it was given the animals as a “male and female couple” in October 2010 from a zoo in the South Korean city of Daejon.

“We have attempted to house them together for breeding many times but they often fought against each other and never engaged themselves in breeding behaviour,” the statement said.

[SNIP]

[Scoutmaster]

I hate it when that happens.

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[Adder]

No, wait...gender doesn’t matter!

[workerbee]

years-long attempt

I'm guessing these zookeepers got their degrees on-line?

[Politicalkiddo]

Are you telling me that two males cannot reproduce? This is unbelievable. The Hyenas are obviously Homophobic.

[tet68]

The Zoo would have really been confused it the
Hyenas were gay.

“Why they not pregger?

[sagar]

They can still adopt, right?

[A message]

That is what I was thinking. Nobody realized the parts were the same..... sheesh

[Reaganez]

Female hyenas have a faux penis.

They are much more aggressive than the males and it is a female that leads the pack.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

beat me to it

[Flag_This]

Sorta like the obamas.

[GeronL]

The LGBT crowd will protest that this headline is sexist and stereotypes non-heterosexuals or something

[NormsRevenge]

Rrrooops..

I hope they receive treatment.

[Vesparado]

Well that’s just DISCRIMINATION!! If any two monkey want to breed they should be allowed to whether they were engineered for it or not!

[GeronL]

They didn’t know this? How do they not know?

[jazusamo]

“We still plan to obtain a female spotted hyena for breeding with either Kami or Kamutori,”

They better learn more about their plumbing before this happens again. lol

[pogo101]

Those giraffes you sold me, they won't mate. They just walk around, eating, and not mating. You sold me ... queer giraffes. I want my money back.

[VanDeKoik]

Mistakes were made. Animals lost their innocence.
It's the circle of life!

[pogo101]

In fairness, hyena genitals are very ambiguous looking. Females have what looks like male equipment, even a false scrotum-looking-thing. Often fools laymen.

But these are zookeepers. They (are supposed to) KNOW this.

[Brother Cracker]

[FlingWingFlyer]

It appears as though that “gay” thing doesn’t work with ALL animals. Only human animals. I guess the two hyenas are going to have to do the adoption thing.