Beavers, gray wolves, and gibbons may all live the promise of “till death do us part” without even taking a vow, but Terry and Klaus Nichols made that vow on their actual wedding day. And this species of animal has a unique custom, where they are forced to keep it because they don’t have enough money to legally dissolve their union.
Wow! The animal kingdom is so beautiful and complex.
“In animals, mating for life is a reproductive strategy,” explains biological anthropologist, Dr. Cyra Altimimi. “They do it so both partners can share in the responsibilities of child-rearing, and increase chances of survival. But in the case of Terry and Klaus, it’s more so that they share a car.”
Aww! Car is baby! :o
“When I found out about Terry and Klaus, I was so inspired,” says a high schooler, Stef Pappas, who recently learned about the couple in her AP bio class. “I feel like a lot of young people will argue that monogamy is unnatural, but how can you say that when there’s proof of species who stick it out in the wild because they really don’t have enough savings between them to deal with attorney fees, separation of assets, or moving?”
Okay, love is still alive somewhere out in the wild!
This semi-furry couple of monogamy even weighed in on their eternal partnership themselves.
“In our fast-paced society, it feels like everyone is always getting divorced,” says Terry, who has borne one offspring from the union that she cannot afford to leave. “And I’m like, how? Can you explain how? Is your cousin a divorce attorney? God, we really shouldn’t have redone the kitchen last year.”
“It seems like a lot of people run at the first sign of trouble,” says Klaus. “But I’m diabetic and I’m on Terry’s health insurance, so for me, it’s like, not having health insurance sounds like more trouble than just being in a marriage where we mutually stopped being attracted to each other five years ago.”
Well, there’s nothing unnatural about that! May they one day have their ashes scattered in the wind together because they can’t afford a burial plot.
