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

It was the first sign these newborn swans would be okay, despite the loss of their mother, thanks to their caring dad. The death of the mother swan left visitors heartbroken, but they continued to visit the lagoon to see the family — and a man named Matthew Raifman caught an inspiring sight that left him running for his camera. 

  “I noticed something was kind of unusual,” Matthew told WBZ-TV. “All the baby cygnets were on top of the papa swan.”

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A post shared by Matthew Raifman (@matthewraifman)

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.” 

 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

The swan’s resilience has turned a heartbreaking story into an inspiring one, and now locals visit the esplanade to see this heroic dad swan. “They seem to be doing well,” Emma Feeney told The Dodo.

  “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.”

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A post shared by Matthew Raifman (@matthewraifman)

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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 That was the case recently, when a group of horses were seen babysitting a young fawn as she waited for her mother.

  The adorable scene was caught by Kally May, on a ranch outside Steamboat Springs in Routte County, Colorado, according to Steamboat Radio. 

 She noticed the fawn was on its own with no mother in sight, and it appeared that three horses, part of the ranch, were looking after her. 

The priceless photos show the horses nuzzling the tiny animal, keeping it safe. Kally said the horses were “being protective from predators.”

  While the fawn might seem orphaned, Kally was told by the local wildlife division to “let it be” and not interfere with the fawn. It is actually normal behavior for mother deer to leave their fawns alone while they look for food to avoid attracting predators, and return to their young later in the day. 

 It’s often a problem when well-intentioned people try to save a seemingly-orphaned fawn, making it even more difficult for them to reunite with their mom. 

 So Kally did the right thing, leaving things alone, and sure enough the mother deer came back to pick up her young, Kally reported the next day. It’s a happy ending, all thanks to three very responsible horses who looked after her for the afternoon.

  So nice to see these horses looking after this baby deer...❤
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  "It's not always about skates and hockey pucks at County Ice Center. Today was a bitter sweet day, as we had an opportunity to help make a difference for a very special dog, Maggie," a spokesperson for the ice center wrote in a Facebook post. 

  "This morning we filled bins, buckets and the back of his van with the ice shavings from the rink. Maggie enjoyed her last morning with her two favorite things, snow and her owners." The County Ice Center shared several photos of Maggie enjoying her personal snowbank, which included a sign that read "Maggie's Snow." 

 Maggie's owners also shared a final goodbye video of Maggie playing in the snow made just for her.

 

This is what her owners wrote: 

  "We said goodbye to our sweet Maggie Bear this morning. We are devastated and already feel the enormous void of her absence. As difficult as the decision to end her suffering was, we are comforted in knowing she departed with grace and dignity. It was important for us to say goodbye in a calm and peaceful manner. 

 The person who filmed this adorable video spotted the pair walking alongside a highway in Homer, Alaska. What happened next just could not be avoided. "My wife and I were driving home and saw a baby and mama moose next to the highway and we decided to stop to let them cross the roadway," he said. 

The baby moose must be brand new because he's still getting used to his little land legs. The Alaska moose (Alces alces gigas) or giant moose or Alaskan moose is a subspecies of moose that ranges from Alaska to western Yukon. 

 The Alaska moose is the largest North American subspecies of moose. Alaska moose inhabit boreal forests and mixed deciduous forests throughout most of Alaska and most of Western Yukon. 

 Like all moose species, the Alaska moose is usually solitary but sometimes will form small herds 

 Watch the wonderful footage below:

 
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