Heartwarming Video Captures Gorilla Helping Injured Bird

Gorillas, which can weigh as much as 400 pounds, are the largest of the great apes, a family of primates that include bonobos, chimpanzees, and orangutans. Despite their size, the intelligent mammals are known to be surprisingly gentle. Evidence of the animals' kind nature was recently caught on tape at a zoo in New South Wales, Australia.

On November 10, 2020, visitors close to the primate enclosure noticed a large gorilla making its way towards a tiny injured bird lying in the grass. The massive animal lay alongside the stricken creature for a few seconds and then gently began to nudge it forward, as if encouraging the bird to fly again. Though the thoughtful gesture did cause the bird to flap its wings, it was unable to take flight. After realizing there was nothing it could do to help, the gorilla turned around and walked away.

This is not the first time zoo visitors have witnessed the primates' humane behavior. In 1996, a female gorilla at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago, Illinois, carefully lifted a three-year-old boy, who had fallen into the enclosure and safely delivered him to zoo keepers waiting near the door.

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