Swans’ necks bow to form a perfect heart when they perform a courtship dance. And two mute swans are especially happy after being reunited by the UK nonprofit Swan Support.
Wendy Hermon, Swan Support’s operations director, received a distressing call last month. A bystander noticed a swan with a smear of blood across her cheek sitting on a clutch of eggs; her mate, who was nearby, was unable to assist her.
Hermon told The Dodo, “Both swans were from a lake in Thatcham, Berkshire.” “She was sitting on her nest when she was shot.”
Rescuers rushed to the injured swan’s aid. Doctors removed the small steel ball from her head the next day. Swans are the property of the queen in the United Kingdom, so any harm to a swan is considered criminal damage by the police.
The surgery went well, and the tough swan recovered quickly. “She recovered quickly,” Hermon said.
The swan was ready to be reunited with her lifelong mate on Tuesday. Her rescuers, however, were unprepared for the powerful display that was about to unfold.
In a video of their reunion, the swan searches for her mate and, when she finds him, lifts her head in a joyful greeting.
Both swans swim toward each other, turning their heads side to side until their cheeks gently touch.
The swans begin to turn their heads in a display of bonding, clearly delighted to be back together. “It was incredible,” Hermon said. “They kept displaying and chatting to each other.”
“It was a very emotional experience,” she added.
The touching reunion can be seen here:
The rescuers sobbed as they saw the two swans bow their heads to form a perfect heart.
“The best part of what we do is releasing the swans back into the wild after they’ve been treated,” Hermon said. “It’s extremely rewarding, especially when you witness the reunion.”
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