'Gentle' Gorilla Assists Injured Bird Caught in Zoo Enclosure During 'Awesome' Animal Moment

In the clip, the gorilla carefully tries to help the bird fly away

This zoo gorilla showed kindness toward an injured bird in need.

In a new heartwarming video captured earlier this month at a zoo in New South Wales, Australia, a gorilla roams their exhibit when they come across a downed bird, resting motionless in the grass. The animal nudges the bird as if to check on it, before laying down next to the small creature to look at it eye to eye.

"That bird must be hurt," one person says off-camera as a park visitor records the moment.

The gorilla flinches a few times at the bird's sudden movements, all while carefully trying to help the injured creature. Giving the bird a boost, the ape uses its hand to push on the bird's backside as the bird attempts to get flying again.

gorilla tends to injured bird
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"He's so gentle with it," an onlooker comments, as another remarks, "It looks like he's trying to get it to go."

"This might not end pretty, if there's any children around," says one witness, presumably predicting the gorilla could roughhouse the bird — though the curious ape does not.

The gorilla instead chooses to walk away calmly at the end of the clip as the bird stays put on the ground. "How awesome was that?" says one of the zoo-goers.

Gorillas are "gentle giants and display many human-like behaviors and emotions, such as laughter and sadness," according to the World Wildlife Fund, which adds that the "charismatic, intelligent animals often surprise us with behaviors and emotions so similar to our human experience."

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