Some people believe that animals are much smarter than they seem, and have a sixth sense that allows them to understand exactly how to cheer us up no matter what.

From dogs and cats to other less typical species, we’ve heard stories of animals visiting strangers in hospitals, keeping people company after an accident, and alerting people of a problem they can’t see.

Nursing homes are generally lovely, warm places to be, but there’s a tinge of sadness to them that can’t ever truly be dampened.

But one duck tries her absolute best to put a smile on the faces of both staff and residents at her own local nursing home in upstate New York – by visiting the home with her ducklings at the same time every year.

MM Ewing Continuing Care Center has become so accustomed to this mama’s visits that they have set up a little tradition that they follow each time she stops by.

When mama duck walks into the main hallway of the home, it’s one of the highlights of the year. The residents all come out of their rooms, and the staff stand in the corridors with large cardboard signs, helping to keep mama and her babies on the right track. As mom and her family waddle through the building, everyone cheers them on.

The occasion was simply too cute for MM Ewing staff to keep to themselves, so they shared the story to Facebook in a post that read:

“Every year, mama follows the same path. Facility Services associates – one of whom said, “She has us trained” – have old signage to gently guide her and her babies in case they look like they’re about to get sidetracked. They head to the light from an open door at the end of the corridor.”

Normally, it’s in the nature of a mama duck to be quite protective of her young. This generally means that, while hanging out in public places is pretty normal, mom wouldn’t want to do anything that could put her little ones in danger.

In this case, though, the mama duck seems totally okay with taking a stroll through a random building. Perhaps she senses that there’s nothing but love and care behind the four walls of MM Ewing. Commenters on Facebook seemed to agree, with one person commenting:

“Thank you for sharing. That is so precious. Mrs. Duck is very smart and wise [for] protecting her young”

There’s something clearly more than chance about this mama’s return visits to the nursing home. But we will never truly know her exact reasons for stopping by every year with her ducklings. We continue to learn more about animals every day, but as none of us are mind-readers, understanding an animal’s motives can be quite difficult.

Either way, mama duck puts a smile on the MM Ewing residents’ faces every year, and that certainly counts for something. Once she’s proudly shown off her offspring, she marches straight out of the door at the end of the corridor, and heads off back into the wild with her little ones hurrying to keep up.

We’ll be checking up with mama this time next year to see if she’s returned – it’s a date for the diary!

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https://www.facebook.com/ThompsonHealth/photos/a.10161770252355054/10161770253235054/?type=3&theater

Source: Animal Channel, Facebook, Go Animals