Her nephew became best friends with her pet duck — enough for it to be his first ever word

An endearing duck story came across the internet, leaving everyone unable to stop smiling. The viral video was uploaded on Instagram by @teddyzoomzoom on February 5, 2025, and touched the hearts of countless users, reaching over 1 million views and 36.6K likes so far. The compilation of adorable clips featured the owner's nephew and her pet duck, Nugget. The numerous wholesome interactions between the two made every Instagram user go aww. 

The video shows the owner, Julie, talking about her nephew Hunter's visit to New Zealand from Canada and his instant connection with her duck, Nugget. She shares how Nugget had also taken a liking to the toddler and was constantly roaming around the back door to interact with him. "Anywhere Hunter is, Nugget is right there." Julie, speaking on the strong bond between her nephew and the duck, shared that Hunter's very first words on the trip had magically turned out to be 'duck'. 

In one post, Julie talks about Nugget's background and how she was adopted. She shares how the little duck was found all alone in the city when a woman gave her shelter and cared for her. Unfortunately, she could not raise Nugget in the hustle and bustle of the city and approached Julie for help. Nugget's current owner was more than happy to welcome the duck and instantly drove out to bring her home, where Nugget finally found freedom and the space to grow confidently. Another video of Nugget acclimating to her new home had a caption that read, "Her first bath, her first friends, and a home where she can just be herself." 

Hunter and Nugget's friendship was, however, short-lived. Hunter was forced to say farewell to Nugget when it was his time to go back home to Canada. It was evident how much Nugget was missing her new buddy as well. "And our duck has been looking for him. And waiting for him. But he's not here." Many Instagram users dropped their supportive responses and suggestions in the comments section. @skyeforest22 wrote, "Tape a photo of your nephew to the window." 

@hoppedonna shared, "Animals know pure energy, children are just that! How sweet is their love for each other!" While @pemilystallwark commented, "So sweet! He was excited to find that there are humans who are his size! You simply need to befriend a toddler near you lol." @thembanimdlalose suggested, "A very easy solution to this, have a baby for the duck's happiness." The interaction between toddlers and animals is not only a beautiful one but can also have a positive impact on the child's development.

A research paper by the National Library of Medicine talks about 29 relevant studies out of 1,025 studies that support the idea of pets having a positive impact on infants. Some of these studies shared that when children have a strong bond with a pet, it can have positive effects on their mental and social health, such as better empathy, more social support, and a higher quality of life. Another report looked at how pets affect babies' development. In experiment 1, about 63% of families with infants had a cat or dog, showing that many babies grow up with pets.

In experiment 2, babies aged 4 to 10 months who lived with pets showed different ways of looking at animal faces compared to those without pets. By 10 months, pet experience influenced how babies viewed not just cats and dogs, but even unfamiliar animals like monkeys, thereby showing a broader developmental impact. 

For more heart-warming animal content, follow @teddyzoomzoom on their Instagram account.