Dingle despair as handsome Hugh fails to perform
But it now appears the handsome Hugh wasn’t all he was cracked up to be.
When the existing penguin population at Dingle Oceanworld in Co Kerry was doing little in terms of boosting the succession stakes, the call went out for the swashbuckling Hugh, who had a record second to none in the mating game.
And quick as a flash after his arrival last April, the 23-year-old gentoo, on loan from Aberdeen Zoo, set his sights on the charming Candy.
The two-year-old fell for his well-rehearsed charms and they quickly became inseparable.
The dashing Hugh, one of a breed of the most powerful swimming birds in the world, was hailed a hero. Candy produced two eggs and it sparked a flurry of excitement at the aquarium.
But their love story turned to heartbreak this week when the incubation period drew to a close and it turned out that the eggs were hollow.
“The eggs were what are known as gluggers, so it turns out that our Scottish friend was firing blanks,” said marine biologist Kevin Flannery.
“We held out high hopes for him when he paired off with Candy, who is the youngest of our eight females, but it just wasn’t to be.”
Now, the team at Dingle are planning to import another four males to add a little spice to the lives of the brooding females.
“We’re not sure how Hugh will take it but he’s had his chance. Maybe the competition will spur him on a bit.
“Although it is disappointing, especially with all the care and attention Hugh and Candy gave to their eggs, we were always aware that they only had a small chance of hatching.
“Despite this, it is great progress for the group as a whole and it gives us hope for successful breeding in future years.”
As for humbled Hugh, well, where there’s life there’s hope and male gentoo penguins have been known to successfully breed up until the age of 30.
There’s plenty of life in the old bird yet.
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