Young boy and swan hug and dance away lockdown blues

Sebestian and Mulder embracing in Santry Park.

Sebestian and Mulder in Santry Park

Sebestian and Mulder embracing in Santry Park.

Sebestian and Mulder in Santry Park

Independent.ie Newsdesk Twitter Email

April 05 2021 08:31 PM

An 11-year-old boy has made the unlikeliest of friends in the form of a swan he has named ‘Mulder’.

Sebestian Golding has found his new friend in Santry Park and in recent months began to feed Mulder as their bond grew stronger and stronger.

Me wee brother goes down to Santry Park every few days and feeds a Swan, this has been going on for a month or two now and the same Swan comes straight over whenever he shows up. They're best friends, it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/5ouvYIkF1Z
— Jordon (@JTBreathnach) April 4, 2021

Each time Sebestian met Mulder - a nod to Fox Mulder of the Sci-fi show X Files - their connection grew stronger and Mulder began to recognise his friend who brought him food.

Over the course of a few months, a relationship blossomed, and videos captured in recent days show them hugging and even dancing in unison, Mulder mimicking Sebestian’s moves.

A video captures Mulder following Sebestian before the pair embrace in a hug, while a second video shows the duo mimicking each other’s movements in a mesmerising dance in the Dublin park.

The 11-year-old says he does not feed the swans bread, and said it upsets him when other people do this, saying he “can’t understand why” because it is bad for them.