In England, a male raptor was observed caring for its young after the mother disappeared. An extremely rare behavior that will not fail to move you.
His name may not mean anything to you, but Robert E Fuller is an artist and wildlife photographer based in England. The one who is followed by 520,000 subscribers on YouTube has installed cameras on his property to observe wild and local fauna, specifies Geo magazine.
A family of raptors like no other
One thing is certain, the Brit takes care of his animals with care. Recently, he did all he could to help a family of kestrels beset by the sudden departure of the mother, a week after the birth of the young.
“One evening after midnight, the female left the nest without ever returning. She had a lot of trouble with tawny owls, but those are pretty normal things. So we don’t know what happened to him,” Robert said.
Photo Credit: Robert E Fuller/YouTube
The problem? Day-old chicks needed their mother for food. In this species of raptor, it is the male who hunts and brings the prey to the nest. For her part, the female shreds the food for her young.
And the least we can say is that the daddy bird didn’t know what to do after the disappearance of the mom: “He kept bringing small rodents that were piling up in the nest. . He looked completely lost. He went outside the nest to call the female, in vain”.
Photo Credit: Robert E Fuller/YouTube
The male replaces the missing mother
Faced with this situation, Robert did not hesitate to give him a slight boost: “When the male was not there, I went to chop the food and feed the little ones. But I left them slightly hungry so that they would ask the male for more food in the hope that it would stimulate him,” says the photographer.
Before adding: “At this point, there were only three chicks in the nest. I had taken the other three home, the weakest to take care of them”. Luckily, his technique paid off as the raptor finally took on the role of mother to care for her newborns.
Photo Credit: Robert E Fuller/YouTube
“He saw one of his little ones swallow a whole lizard whole. A little light went on in his head: later in the afternoon he started to tear food and feed the babies. But he was very impatient. He gave them a few small bites before rushing outside. As surprising as it may seem, the raptor dad has become more familiar with this technique. But that’s not all ! He was also spotted nursing his offspring.
Photo Credit: Robert E Fuller/YouTube
“To see this male play the role of the female, in addition to his own role, was something incredible,” marvels Robert. Note that the six chicks have all left the nest to take their independence.
