Demanding treats goes hand in hand with being a kid, even a four-legged one. Joy loves her snacks and won’t be satisfied until she’s sniffed all of them out. When the well runs dry, she goes in for a search, using her trunk to try to suss out their location.
“Onks said the treats were gone. Joy had to verify that personally,” the caption tells us. By the end of the clip, she’s checked every pocket at least twice to finally conclude that there really aren’t any more nibbles hidden away. But her human, Onks, reassures her that more will certainly be coming along.
Elephant Havens, where Joy lives, has a lot of fans who jumped into the comments to gush over this baby. “She needs more treats NOW,” @laugrierr quipped. We loved what @Kristine had to say: “Love Joy’s curiosity and her spunkiness…. she is the best.”
@user178994113 had the sweetest note, “Glad to be Joy’s internet aunt and impressed that our little girl is growing so much. Been raising her via Wi-Fi since the day she was rescued.”
Related: Sedgwick County Zoo’s Baby Elephant Nails ‘Follow the Leader’
How Do Elephants Use Their Trunks To Find Food?
When you look at an elephant’s trunk, you might think of it as a giant nose, but this organ serves so many purposes. Pachyderms use their trunks to drink water, pick up food, snorkel while swimming, lift heavy objects, and to do so many other activities. It’s like a hand, nose, and lip all in one.
The dexterity of the trunk comes from its unique muscular structure. As Smithsonian’s National Zoo explains, “The trunk has about 150,000 muscle units and tendons that provide the elephant precision, as well as strength of movement.” We’re kinda jealous.
Of course, the trunk also acts as the nose, meaning elephants can direct their sense of smell with a lot more precision than the average animal. That’s how little Joy is able to both sniff out and hunt for her special treats at the same time.
This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Aug 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.