In July, a beautiful moment between two swans was captured on video — and it captured the internet's heart.
The clip appeared on the Instagram page for German animal rescue Tiernotruf (@tiernotruf.de). Shared by chairman Stefan Bröckling, it shows Bröckling himself carrying a swan to the edge of a pond and releasing it into the water.
The video's description read, "Swan returned to his partner after two weeks in the rescue center."
The simple title does little to capture the profound emotion in the video. Bröckling watches from the shore as the swans rush toward each other across the surface of the water. When they meet, they greet each other with a small dance, tenderly pressing their faces together over and over.
Moments like these are part of what makes Tiernotruf's work so important. Helping trapped and injured animals doesn't just save the individual; it also helps return them to their family in the wild to help the species continue.
According to the rescue's website, it operates primarily in the Düsseldorf area but will take calls to help injured animals all over Germany. Its Instagram profile is full of the animals the organization has saved, including cats, dogs, many kinds of birds, squirrels, rabbits, and even a few unusual ones like badgers, foxes, and deer.
"The animal emergency call comes when others have already given up," Tiernotruf's website says. "In close cooperation with many other animal protection initiatives and associations as well as animal rescue services, we save lives — everywhere."
Commenters loved the touching reunion in the video.
"Swans are most often monogamous," one user pointed out. "Only finding another mate if their partner dies. Some will even stay until they themselves die or join a flock. They grieve like humans."
"Not me crying over swans," joked another user — a sentiment shared by many of the commenters.
"Sublime," said a third user. "I really admire the people who are in charge of rescuing and caring for animals."
"Me too," another commenter replied. "Our world needs more."
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