In Boston, Massachusetts, the Charles River has recently become a favorite haunt for swans. The conditions were nice enough for a swan couple to even start their new family in the lagoon of the park. However, the family would soon experience a heartbreaking tragedy. Do not be disheartened already because the story has a happy ending.
Emma Feeney, The Charles River Esplanade Association’s events and marketing coordinator, recalls the first meeting with the swans. They had noticed the couple had built a nest beside the lagoon’s pillars in April 2021. A short while later, they noticed that the female swan had started laying eggs. By the time May came, the mother had laid 9 eggs. Near the end of May, the cygnets had started hatching too.
The Picturesque Swan Family
The hatching event was a popular event for the local wildlife and bird lovers. Seven cygnets had hatched successfully. During the next few weeks, the family became something like celebrities, according to Feeney.[1]
Swan couples usually mate for life. They even share the duties of raising the babies during the first couple of weeks. But the happy family did not last. On May 31st, 2021, the mother swan suddenly became ill. She could not be saved.
Papa Swan carrying his babies on his back 🥺❤️ @wbz @EsplanadeBoston pic.twitter.com/SqEQkKkV9s
— Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) June 4, 2021
Sylvia J. Zarco had seen the whole sequence of events leading up to the mother swan’s eventual death. In a post on Facebook, Sylvia recalled that she was completely fine, except she was having trouble lifting or holding up her head. It was so bad that she would stumble while standing and was unable to swim properly.
The father swan did not leave her for a moment. However, his partner passed away before Boston Animal Control could reach the birds. When the people gently carried her away from the nest, the father remained calmly seated at the nest with the cygnets underneath his wings.
Read: Feed Ducks Frozen Peas, Not Bread, Wildlife Organization Urges
The Start Of The Father’s Journey
However, even since the fateful day, the father swan has been heroically taking care of the cygnets all by himself. Mathew Raifman, a photographer even captured this adorable moment of the father carrying the newborns on his back:
Four of the original seven cygnets had survived till then.[2] One of them had drowned, while animal control had to rescue another one. Raifman is a father of a newborn himself and said that he was able to relate with the father swan at some point. Raifman found this picture extremely inspiring and considered it to be the best photograph of his career.
Later on, Feeney said that the family was doing well. The father swan would be seen doing his best to scare off any geese that come by them to protect his cygnets.
We hope the father has continued being the awesome dad that he was last seen to be. After all, it is only for him, that the cygnets will one day be able to have swan families of their own. A truly strong spirit to soldier on despite the tragic loss of his partner.
Read: Man Builds Raft To Save “Unluckiest” Swan’s Eggs From Flooding River
Sources
- “Hero Swan Dad Steps Up To Raise His Babies After Mom Passes Away.” The Dodo. Lily Feinn. June 4, 2021.
- “Father Swan Cares for Baby Swans Following Mother’s Death a Week After Giving Birth.” People. Naledi Ushe. June 8. 2021.