Earlier this week, a mother swan passed away in her nest on Boston’s Esplanade. Leaving her “husband” to care for their newborn babies on his own.
One individual returned to the water a few days later and saw a sight he will never forget.
The new single father had his babies on his back as he made his way into the Storrow Lagoon.
“When they approached I noticed something was kind of unusual. All the baby cygnets were on top of the papa swan,” Matthew Raifman told WBZ-TV.
Raifman snapped a photo that would later take over social media.
It’s been a crazy 24 hours. So happy to have played a small role in this heartwarming story about Boston’s Papa Swan. Yes, I am actually taking photos here because Papa Swan *made an appearance* during the interview! https://t.co/i6djyYa4J6
— Matthew Raifman🚶♂️🚲🚇🛴 (@MatthewRaifman) June 4, 2021
“It’s not a fairy tale story and I think that’s what is powerful about it. That challenge of kind of love and loss and triumph and overcoming these obstacles is something I think we’re all kind of connecting with around this papa swan story and rooting for,” he went on to state.
Papa Swan carrying his babies on his back 🥺❤️ @wbz @EsplanadeBoston pic.twitter.com/SqEQkKkV9s
— Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) June 4, 2021
Story via CBS Boston