This does not happen every day. A baby visitor to a zoo in China dropped its shoe in an enclosure occupied by elephants. The parents of the baby were flummoxed and wondered what to do next when the elderly elephant got into the rescue act.

The animal picked up the shoe from the ground and returned it to the baby’s family. The zoo is in the Shandong province in China. Initially, the pachyderm was facing problems as it was finding it tough to pick up the footwear because of its size. But then it got the shoe firmly in the grip of its trunk, which it lifted to give it back, much to the delight of the visitors.

The act did not go without a reward: the animal got a fistful of grass as a treat for the day by the zoogoer, according to the Independent. The footage was shared on Instagram with the caption, “This elephant was up to the… tusk. The animal returned a child’s shoe after it fell into its zoo enclosure in eastern China.”

Netizens have gone gaga over the video. The viral video has garnered over a lakh likes on the photo-sharing application.

The comments of appreciation kept pouring in. One wrote, “When animals are better at cleaning up than humans,” another added, “They’re so smart!” A user said, “My heart can’t take it,” and one more commented, “Elephants are so adorable.” Meanwhile, many who were against keeping animals captive asked for its release. A netizen shared, “As cute as this is, elephants are intelligent beings and don’t deserve to be behind bars.” Another expressed, “Hᴇᴀʀtʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ. With no freedom and still shows kindness.” One more joined in to add, “He doesn’t deserve to be in an enclosure.”

When it comes to the smartest species within the animal kingdom, elephants are definitely near the top of the list. Well, for starters, they have larger brains than every other land mammal! Elephants are capable of expressing a huge range of complex emotions, and they’ve even been known to use tools in surprisingly elaborate ways.

But these complex behaviors and survival mechanisms are only the beginning of elephant intelligence! When it comes to social intelligence, elephants are also amazingly sophisticated! They have been shown to care deeply for and protect one another within their family groups. They will even grieve when a close companion or family member dies. Their emotional range is impressive, and elephants commonly work together to access and share resources like food and water or to protect each other from predators. In addition, elephants are expert communicators. They use all their senses – hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch – when interacting and collaborating with each other.