Nuzzling Stag and Doe

… that best portion of a good man’s life,

His little, nameless, unremembered act

Of kindness and of love.

– William Wordsworth

The expression of tender affection between this stag and doe was pretty remarkable – so much so I caught my breath while witnessing them through the viewfinder. It’s not uncommon to see paired animals do this in the wild and I’ve seen it many times on my visits to the Bosque del Apache and especially between paired elephants while on safari in South Africa.

But the expression between this couple was quite remarkable. In the late afternoon sunlight, the stag quietly made his way over to this doe, leaning toward her and gently nuzzling her face for several moments. Surely this was just one of many little acts of gentleness shared between this herd of deer and an encounter I’m so grateful to have witnessed.