ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
The first chick born to a same-sex penguin couple in Syracuse, N.Y. Credit: Rosamond Gifford Zoo A same-sex male penguin couple at a zoo in New York state became parents after the egg they had been caring for hatched early last month. The chick was hatched on January 1 after being fostered by Elmer and Lima. The dads became the first same-sex foster parents to successfully hatch an egg at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, which is known internationally for its Humboldt penguin program, the zoo said. 🐧🌈🐧 We have some very exciting news! The first chick to be fostered by a pair of same-sex penguins at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo hatched on January 1! Read the full news release here: https://t.co/NuVJMtLDde #Syracusezoo pic.twitter.com/nfbfiYL08p — Rosamond Gifford Zoo (@SyracuseZoo) January 28, 2022 Elmer and Lima were both born at the zoo, in 2016 and 2019, respectively. They formed a “pair bond” last fall during the current breeding season. They are both South American Humboldt penguins, a species that is classified as “vulnerable” because of climate change and habitat loss. The zoo, which joined the Species Survival Plan for Humboldt penguins in 2005, says it has hatched more than 55 chicks since then. It has 28 Humboldt penguins in its current colony. The zoo has used foster parents to help nurture eggs in the past because some breeding pairs have a history of accidentally breaking their fertilized eggs. That’s what happened to Elmer, who was given his name “because the egg he hatched from was accidentally damaged by his parents and the animal care team repaired it using Elmer’s glue.” In order to save the chicks, zookeepers may surreptitiously swap in a fake egg and give the real one to another penguin couple to give it a better chance of hatching. Not all penguin pairs are good at incubating eggs, according to zoo director Ted Fox: “It takes practice.” The zoo said the fact that Elmer and Lima “built a nest and defended their territory” was a sign that they could be good parents. “Some pairs, when given a dummy egg, will sit on the nest but leave the egg to the side and not incubate it correctly, or they’ll fight for who is going to sit on it when,” Fox said in a statement. “That’s how we evaluate who will be good foster parents — and Elmer and Lima were exemplary in every aspect of egg care.” The egg originally came from a female penguin named Poquita and her mate, Vente. After zookeepers detected a viable embryo inside the egg in December, they transferred it to Elmer and Lima, who were deemed to have a better chance of success. Fox said the male penguins took turns incubating the egg until it hatched, and the pair have been warming and feeding the chick since. “At our first health check when the chick was five days old, it weighed 226 grams (8 ounces),” Fox said. “It continues to be brooded and cared for by both Elmer and Lima, who are doing a great job. And once they have experience doing this and continue to do it well, they will be considered to foster future eggs.” Same-sex penguin couples like Elmer and Lima are not unheard of, and have proven good at fostering chicks before. In fact, more than 450 species of animals are known to form same-sex partnerships, according to the OceanogrĂ fic València aquarium. In 2020, a pair of female penguins at an aquarium in Spain welcomed a baby chick. And in 2018, two male penguins at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in Australia, Sphen and Magic — nicknamed “Sphengic”— hatched a chick and became internet stars in the process. Fox said same-sex penguin pairs show that non-traditional families can do a wonderful job of rearing their young. “Elmer and Lima’s success at fostering is one more story that our zoo can share to help people of all ages and backgrounds relate to animals,” he said.