Can you guess what toddlers and baby elephants have in common? They have an uncanny knack for driving their parents crazy with their daredevilish antics!
Meet Jet, the 7-month-old elephant who has taken the St. Louis Zoo and all their fans by storm! This little pachyderm is keeping his mama, the zookeepers, and a local photographer on their toes!
In a recent video posted on Facebook by @BobOlsheske, we were treated to an up-close view of little Jet attempting to balance on a large log. Jet carefully climbs up on the lower portion and uses it as a stepping stone to the larger part of the trunk.
This is where things get tricky! Jet somehow manages to get all four of his feet onto the log and despite being a little wobbly he steps forward and then backwards a few times. Clearly, he knew he could get up there, but he is definitely less confident in his ability to get back down!
At this point in the clip, the little elephant has hit a bit of a roadblock. He can’t go forward but knows he is too far off the ground to make a step down. After a few seconds, which felt like hours, he turns and gently reaches his front leg down towards solid ground. Then with a smidge of confidence he slides his front legs down the edge of the log and contacts the ground.
Related: Young Elephants Splash in a Puddle Just Like Toddlers Wearing Rain Boots
Once he knows how far the fall will be he just makes the proverbial “leap of faith!” Honestly, his dismount went pretty well despite taking one to the chin—literally!
Jet recovered from his little tumble and then turned around to give that log a piece of his mind! Here are a few of the highlights from the comment section:
“Oh, my goodness, Jet is just like a little acrobatic walking on that log.”
“Good job Jet, you’re a natural!”
“Kids will be kids no matter the species.”
“It looks like he could be an Olympic balance beam gymnast – but he needs to work on his landing!”
Here is another video of Jet and his log balancing acrobatics! He still has room for improvement on the dismount but overall improved from the first time! We can’t wait to see what he is up to next!