Animals, much like people, need the basics of survival in order to thrive: food, water, shelter from harsh elements, and some form of companionship. It’s not uncommon to see wild animals and not think much about us having similar basic needs, but I also haven’t met a person yet who doesn’t internally squeal with delight at the sight of two otters holding hands while floating down a river.
The point is, animals and humans have similar needs and sometimes wants, though it’s unclear whether the animals this forest explorer encounters need access to water or simply want a swimming hole where they can pal around with their neighbors.
Do animals need companionship more than we think? Giphy
In an adorable video uploaded to Reddit, a man exploring a forest in Brazil decides to dig a small hole in the ground and fill it with water.
Doesn’t sound that adorable, does it? Well, this wasn’t just a hole that would eventually disappear when the water absorbed into the ground. It was made to last, making it a new, semi-permanent pond in the jungle.
The unnamed man lines the hole with what looks like a black plastic tarp that goes in the bottom of a pond, holding it in place with large stones. He then sets up a camera on a nearby stake to film what happens after he leaves. The results make it difficult to contain a smile.
It seems that almost immediately after the sun rises, there’s a menagerie of different animals coming to check out the new watering hole.
First, two green birds that look like either parakeets or Brazilian parrots arrive. Then, another larger bird comes by. In the timelapse video, birds dominated the man-made puddle of fresh water. They drank, played, flapped around in the water, just having the best bird time before a new animal showed up. This time it’s a pair of adorable baby jaguarundi who are quickly joined by two more slightly larger cubs, all drinking from the hole.
At one point, a giant lizard decided that the new watering hole made a good pool, so he lay his entire body in it. It’s not clear if any of the animals wanted a drink while the lizard was resting, but the next shot is of a large bird looking directly at the camera as if it were tattling.
Commenters loved the fun video of animals checking out the little makeshift pond in the middle of the forest. Here are a few of their responses:
“The biodiversity is truly staggering. The baby mountain lions were the cutest. Also the disrespect of the monitor lizard just lying in it was hilarious.”
“All of those animals having a drink, a bath, some fun… except that one bird, face in the camera, going ‘It’s a trap!'”
“Lizard need a bath! I’ve heard that bathing can help reptiles shed their skin easier.”
“The ultimate ‘if you provide, they will thrive’ lesson.”
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all week.”
Humans have destroyed enough rainforest that a little man-made pond isn’t going to hurt anything.Photo by Paulius Dragunas on Unsplash
Some commenters brought up obvious questions: Is it okay for the man to have interfered in the natural habitat like this? What happens if and when the pond dries up?
The Wildlife Conservation Network writes that conservationists may intervene in nature when the threat faced by animals is not natural or is man-made. The organization notes that it’s wrong to scare off gazelles before a hungry lion comes along to eat them, as that has a direct impact on the natural food chain. But you could argue that with immense man-made destruction and deforestation of habitats in Brazil, a small puddle that brings fresh water and a sense of community to the animals is fair play, and won’t ultimately have a big impact on the ecosystem.
The way the animals responded to the pond makes it seem like they’ve been waiting around their whole lives for someone to build one. No squabbling or one species trying to stake a claim—they all took turns enjoying a drink or playing. It’s quite sweet how seemingly cooperative they all were. They’ll get good use out of that small watering hole for a while thanks to a curious human with a camera.
This article originally appeared in April. It has been updated.