A kind elephant gently picks up a toddler’s slipper and returned it to its owner after it accidentally fell in its enclosure.
The giant mammal’s gesture was filmed by an unnamed visitor at the Shendiao Mountain Wildlife World in Weihai, in eastern China’s Shandong Province,
In the video – shared on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok – the elephant can be seen approaching a number of tourists gathered behind a tall guardrail.
As it comes nearer, it happily accepts a pile of grass handed to it by a person standing off-camera.
While munching on the treat, it suddenly notices a purple children’s slipper fallen inside its enclosure.
It carefully picks it up with its trunk and gives it back to the toddler who lost it.
The crowd joyfully exclaims at the animal’s kind act and it gets given more grass as a reward.
Touched netizens said the elephant deserves all the appreciation it can get.
A similar event occurred at the same zoo during last year’s summer.
Images captured by an unnamed zoogoer show the elephant picking up the shoe with its trunk and then lifting it up to the young child who with the help of an adult reaches out and grabs it.
The child even appears to give the elephant some food to thank it.
The zoo manager, who has not been named, reportedly told Chinese media: “This is a male elephant, whose name is Shanshan. He came to our park when he was about 6 years old. He is 25 years old this year. He is very smart and can interact with the keepers.”
Chinese media reported that this had happened when the elephant knocked it against the side of the enclosure while playing and that it had not been caused by humans.
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Story By: Simona Kitanovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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