photo - Nigel Kibble/CATHERS No matter what the species, a mother will always love and care for her babies. See 14 wonderful examples at Buzzfeed.
In some species, the father also cares for the young. Take the swan for example.
Out for a walk on Sunday beside a lock in Leicester, photographer Nigel Kibble spotted a cygnet in distress with the swan's parents desperately trying to rescue their youngster. In must have crawled through a gap in the wooden structure and fallen into the lower water. The adult birds were cooing as if trying to comfort their offspring. The water level was not high enough for it to climb out, and the short stretch of water wouldn't allow it to build up speed to take off.
He phoned the Canal and River Trust, the department responsible for the nation's waterways, but no-one was on hand to open the lock at that time.
When he returned on Monday the cygnet was still there, along with the anxious parents trying to coax and pull it out without success. He called the Trust again for assistance.
On Wednesday the juvenile had been released and was swimming free with its parents again.
A spokesman for the Trust reported that when a member of staff arrived, the lock had already been opened to allow the birds to move on. See Telegraph story.
In some species, the father also cares for the young. Take the swan for example.
Out for a walk on Sunday beside a lock in Leicester, photographer Nigel Kibble spotted a cygnet in distress with the swan's parents desperately trying to rescue their youngster. In must have crawled through a gap in the wooden structure and fallen into the lower water. The adult birds were cooing as if trying to comfort their offspring. The water level was not high enough for it to climb out, and the short stretch of water wouldn't allow it to build up speed to take off.
He phoned the Canal and River Trust, the department responsible for the nation's waterways, but no-one was on hand to open the lock at that time.
When he returned on Monday the cygnet was still there, along with the anxious parents trying to coax and pull it out without success. He called the Trust again for assistance.
On Wednesday the juvenile had been released and was swimming free with its parents again.
A spokesman for the Trust reported that when a member of staff arrived, the lock had already been opened to allow the birds to move on. See Telegraph story.
Of course, exceptions occur just as they do in humans, but every species exhibits this loving, caring nature, which must be built in as part of the reproduction cycle.
In 1971, my family and I lived in the little lobster-fishing town of Robe in South Australia. We bought a historic property, built during the gold rush 150 years before, in the isolated town with a huge pine tree dominating the back yard. Must have been 150 feet high although we never measured it. The ground underneath, saturated by pine needles for over one hundred years, didn't grow much. We used the space for our birds, allowing them to roam free during the day but giving them security from foxes at night.
When my son was about 10 yrs, he hit his head with a backward swing while attempting to build a tree house. Luckily, he was able to scramble down. Head wounds require assistance, so we took him to the closest hospital which was an hour's drive away. I worried all the way there, so I know how the swans must have felt for their cygnet. My son didn't suffer any consequences for his escapade either.
Do you have a similar tale?
In 1971, my family and I lived in the little lobster-fishing town of Robe in South Australia. We bought a historic property, built during the gold rush 150 years before, in the isolated town with a huge pine tree dominating the back yard. Must have been 150 feet high although we never measured it. The ground underneath, saturated by pine needles for over one hundred years, didn't grow much. We used the space for our birds, allowing them to roam free during the day but giving them security from foxes at night.
When my son was about 10 yrs, he hit his head with a backward swing while attempting to build a tree house. Luckily, he was able to scramble down. Head wounds require assistance, so we took him to the closest hospital which was an hour's drive away. I worried all the way there, so I know how the swans must have felt for their cygnet. My son didn't suffer any consequences for his escapade either.
Do you have a similar tale?
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