Animals, like humans, desire the safe delivery of their offspring.
Mama animals can also experience heartbreak when their babies do not survive birth. Some may even continue to search for their offspring and exhibit signs of depression upon realizing the loss.
In The Netherlands, Queen Uniek, a Friesian horse, was pregnant with her first foal. During labor, she began to feel anxious and paced restlessly in her stable, while her owner Yvonne tried to calm her down.
Despite an hour of labor, Uniek gave birth to a stillborn foal that did not survive despite efforts by veterinarians to revive him.
While Uniek mourned the loss of her foal, Yvonne remained by her side to offer comfort.
Despite Uniek's efforts to revive her newborn through licking, it was clear that the foal was gone, and the mare was left heartbroken and in pain.
After receiving a call from her friend, Yvonne and the staff at Friesian Horses were excited to hear that they had an orphaned foal in their care.
Despite her uncertainty about how Queen Uniek would respond to the new arrival, Yvonne hoped it might help her overcome her grief. They then transported the foal to their farm in a van.
Yvonne had an idea to ease Uniek's grief after losing her son and help the orphaned foal at the same time.
With hope filling the barn, she brought the foal closer to Uniek in a tentative manner. The two animals sniffed each other and danced around, and Uniek seemed to claim the foal as her own.
Yvonne was amazed at this special moment and told The Dodo that she never expected it to happen, but it was clear that Uniek had accepted the foal named Rising Star.
Following their heartwarming introduction, Queen Uniek and Rising Star have been inseparable.
Yvonne found the adorable duo the next day in their stable, with Uniek keeping a watchful eye over her newly adopted foal.
Uniek has become fiercely protective of her little one, always keeping him close by.
Whenever they are taken to the field, Rising Star dashes around gleefully while Uniek stays close behind, never letting him out of her sight. The pair shares an unbreakable bond that has only grown stronger with each passing day.
