Woman feeding a squirrel.
Showing kindness doesn't cost a thing, but it's impact is always worth its weight in gold. We typically experience kindness from other humans, but all living creatures are capable making a kindness connection—even across species.
A sweet squirrel is certainly proof of that. Originally shared in a since-deleted TikTok and then an abandoned Reddit subforum, r/AnimalsBeingGeniuses, an astonishing video of a heartfelt but indirect interaction between a woman and the squirrel she's been feeding continues to make its rounds on the Internet since it was first posted a year ago. The footage is unbelievable and totally wholesome.
The moment appears to have been captured by the woman's security or ring camera mounted at the entrance of her house. In it, we can see her climbing up the stairs with a package in her hand. After she stops in front of the entrance and starts looking for the house keys, her eyes catch something unusual. The bright red color of the object placed on the window sill next to the door is actually a cookie placed with such care that it has to be intentional. The woman appears puzzled and looks around to figure out how the treat ended up in an odd place like that.
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As the video continues, the mystery is solved. Before the woman arrives home, a brown squirrel can be seen carefully climbing the railing on her front steps while carrying the cookie in its mouth. It hops up to the window sill and places the cookie neatly near the entrance where it can't be missed. The squirrel doesn't linger and swiftly makes its way back to the railing.
It turns out, the squirrel's sweet gesture had a story behind it.
The woman had been feeding the same squirrel every day at her home and it had become a regular visitor. To thank the lady for her generosity, the squirrel brought a single cookie for her.
Squirrel Freezes After Feeding On Fresh Snacks GIF by ViralHog Giphy
The adorable footage won over people on the Internet in an instant. On the Reddit thread, user u/wpgjudi explained, "Squirrels are neurotic. 80% of what they store, they forget and they are the national animal of ADHD running around, storing as much as possible, then freaking out, unable to find it or forget and realizing summer is rushing by, start a new hoard."
Another user, u/a-buck-three-eighty, shared, "We feed squirrels in the winter. Sometimes they knock on the door if we're late. In exchange, they planted a tree for me in the middle of an empty planter. I nurtured it and planted it in the ground. Now they hang out in it as it gets taller." ㅤ
And user u/CollapsingTheWave commented, "My cat would bring mice, baby squirrels, baby rabbits, birds, moles, random varmint organs... Once she brought a live mouse as a gift, we promptly took it far down the driveway and released it. That same evening she brought us the poor mouse's severed head complete with spine and nothing else. I think she didn't take too kindly to releasing it but she has since passed." ㅤ
Humans and animals make connections all the time whether it's pets and their owners or these chance encounters with wildlife. However it happens, we never tire of seeing these wholesome interactions that remind us we're all one big family and kindness matters no matter our species.
One big family on Earth. Giphy
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.