Every day, Toto the swan spends time with his favorite human, Gabor Rigo, showering him with love and affection. The reason for their special bond? This kindhearted man took care of Totó when he'd just hatched from an egg, nursing him from a small, fluffy cygnet into a beautiful, strong bird.
In May of 2020, a huge storm destroyed Toto’s family’s nest in Lake Balaton, Hungary. All the eggs had perished—except one. When a woman spotted Toto’s egg on the surface of the water, little did she know the egg contained a precious life inside, and it had already cooled to a dangerous level.
“She wanted to take it home to pierce the top and bottom, blow out the contents, and keep it as a keepsake for Easter,” Mr. Rigo, 50, told The Epoch Times.
It was only when the woman held the egg up to the light that she noticed the little life stirring inside. Acting quickly, she took the egg home, placed it between two pillows for warmth, and heated it from above with an infrared lamp.
“The human body temperature is almost the same as the hatching temperature of birds: 36 to 36.2 degrees Celsius,” said Mr. Rigo, who works at a bird park. “When she went to work during the day, the lady put the egg between her breasts, tying a sheet over to keep it in place ... to warm it using her body heat.”
On the fifth day, the egg hatched, and the woman, knowing it was a cygnet that she couldn’t raise at home, took the baby to a bird park.
“He was 2 days old,” Mr. Rigo said, “and that’s when Toto and I started our life together.”
Mr. Rigo, who lives in the city of Keszthely on Lake Balaton and raises hundreds of birds each year, was initially unhappy about the new arrival.
“I knew [a little swan] would be very difficult to raise, and it would take a long time,” adding that in his experience many swans get aggressive by the age of 3.
Despite his misgivings, he still cared for the tiny bird, keeping him in his pocket as he went about his day, giving him his scheduled feeds every two hours. One Friday evening, tired after a day at work, Mr. Rigo pulled off his sweater and Toto fell out. Since Mr. Rigo didn’t have to go to work the following day, the pair were able to spend the weekend getting to know one another better.
“That time was enough for us to become friends and steal each other’s hearts,” Mr. Rigo said. “The bond between us grew stronger day by day; he came with me everywhere and slept with me at night.”
The two now enjoy activities such as swimming, watching television, and going to the gym. The now-adult swan even rides in the car with Mr. Rigo when he goes shopping.
Toto likes doing things he sees humans do, such as showering in the evening. He also likes hanging out in Mr. Rigo’s apartment and watching him cook.
“He sneaks vegetables and fruits from the garden into the kitchen—he has his own plate and a small bowl from which he drinks,” Mr. Rigo said.
When Toto needs to poop, he pulls a string hanging from the balcony door to open it and get outside.
“He goes out, does his work, and comes back to the apartment,“ Mr. Rigo said. ”He’s very clean.”
Despite his keeper’s best attempts, Toto refuses to pair with another swan. Because he was raised by humans and didn’t develop proper survival instincts, the swan can’t be returned to the wild. Additionally, having grown up with dogs, he’s not afraid of predators.
When Mr. Rigo goes on vacation with his sons, Toto misses him terribly, so they keep in touch with regular video calls.
“When my colleague turns on the camera, Toto instantly calms down,” he said, adding that two or three days is not too much of a problem, but after four days of his favorite person being absent, the swan stands at the gate of the bird park all day, waiting for him.
Even though Swans live for 30 years, Mr. Rigo has vowed to be “responsible” for him.
