Cow Gets Down On Her Knees To Look Little Boy In The Eyes

A young cow and a little boy shared a deeply moving moment - and it was caught on camera.

Facebook/L214 Ethique et Animaux

A video making the rounds on the animal-loving internet shows a calf and a little boy standing just a few feet apart and looking curiously at each other.

Facebook/L214 Ethique et Animaux

As the calf approaches the boy, and the boy squats down in the grass to get a better look at the calf, something magical seems to happen.

Facebook/L214 Ethique et Animaux

The calf gets closer, and she kneels down to the little boy's level.

Facebook/L214 Ethique et Animaux

As the baby cow looks deeply into the boy's eyes, the videographer gasps at the moving moment, in which two beings of totally different species seemed to recognize each other.

To people who know how complex and sweet cows can be, this encounter is not surprising. "Cattle are very social beings who form strong herd and family bonds," Susie Coston, national shelter director for Farm Sanctuary, told The Dodo. "They are also super curious. We see calves, like this one, who are drawn to children - because they know they are children. He was being very gentle and bending down to meet this child."

Facebook/L214 Ethique et Animaux

Even though farm animals often aren't seen as beings with the capacity to have feelings, experts have agreed that animals like cows feel pain and have emotions.

Indeed, when the boy stood up, the baby cow got startled and ran away. Despite their size, cows "can be quite shy when they are not with their herd," Coston explained.

See another beautiful moment between a cow and a person here. You can help rescued cows here. And watch the full footage below:

Have a tip? Email sarahv@thedodo.com.