Father swan takes babies under his wing after mum passed away
In nature, it’s usually the mother of the species who will take care of her young, instinctively taking newborns into her care and raising them.
It’s less common for the father to be as involved — and it’s even rarer to see a “single dad” in the animal kingdom.
He snapped a few photos of the dad giving his chicks a ride on his back (with one tailing behind in the water). He called it “probably the best photo I’ve ever taken,” and described the situation as “one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming stories in a while.”
It’s sad that the mother swan passed away, but we’re so happy this dad has stepped up to the plate to take care of these babies.
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In nature, it’s usually the mother of the species who will take care of her young, instinctively taking newborns into her care and raising them.
It’s less common for the father to be as involved — and it’s even rarer to see a “single dad” in the animal kingdom. But sometimes, a male will step up to take care of his children, especially if their mother is unable to.
That was the case recently, with a male swan who has gone viral for taking care of his kids on his own after the death of his mate.
Recently, a swan couple made a home near the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Massachusetts. They recently hatched nine cygnets, much to the delight of visitors, and the swans and their babies quickly became local celebrities.
Were saddened to report that the mother swan of the adorable Esplanade swan family passed away last night in her nest. We want to thank @animalboston for safely removing her from the swan's nest while the father swan sat at the nest with their cygnets tucked under his wings. pic.twitter.com/CnuYZOKWcK
— Charles River Esplanade (@EsplanadeBoston) June 1, 2021
“I noticed something was kind of unusual,” Matthew told WBZ-TV. “All the baby cygnets were on top of the papa swan.”
He also said that as the father of a toddler, he really felt for the single dad swan. “I felt sort of a kindler spirit with this papa swan that is just trying to be resilient in the face of a pretty challenging life,” Matthew told WBTV.
“I can relate on some level, I think, to what it’s like to be a new dad struggling with a challenging situation you need to overcome.”
Papa Swan carrying his babies on his back 🥺❤️ @wbz @EsplanadeBoston pic.twitter.com/SqEQkKkV9s
— Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) June 4, 2021
“You can tell that he’s just a great, great father to them. It’s very adorable.”
“They’ve been through so much, but they seem so strong.”
