A gay couple in China, desperate for a child of their own, have resorted to preying on the infants of straight folks. Those involved live at a zoo in the northern city of Harbin. They are penguins.

The two birds were trying to cover their theft by placing stones at the feet of the parents, but they weren’t fooled for a minute.

Zoo staff said the other penguins eventually began to ostracise the gay couple from the group.

And in order to protect the animals from frustration during the breeding season, animal keepers decided to keep the odd couple apart from the others.

Apparently the two penguins involved were very eager to have offspring, despite their sexual preferences.

“One of the responsibilities of being a male adult is looking after the eggs. Despite this being a biological impossibility for this couple, the natural desire is still there,” a keeper told the Austrian Times newspaper.