CCTV Captures Moment Sanctuary Animals Realize Their Human Is 'Overwhelmed'

A video showing rescue animals appearing to check on their caregiver after she was feeling a little overwhelmed has melted hearts on social media.

The viral clip was shared by the TikTok account of Off The Plate Sanctuary (@offtheplatesanctuary), a nonprofit animal rescue based in Montgomery, Vermont. It was started by Gretchen Eberle and her spouse Charles Snedicor. The video has received more than 955,000 views since it was first posted three days ago.

The footage was captured a few days ago via a Nest Cam, Google's smart security camera. Eberle told Newsweek: "I have Nest Cams around the barns and rely on them to get the most-intimate moments with me and our rescued animals."

The clip shows some cows and goats in a barn enclosure outdoors, gathering around Eberle, who is sitting on the ground.

"I was cleaning the barn and feeling a little overwhelmed that day. The things we see in rescue life can take its toll on us at times," Eberle said. "As I sat to take a quick break and reflect, a couple of the cows and goats nearby sensed my emotions and came over to check on me.

"They do this quite often. They are beautiful, feeling, sentient beings who feel many of the emotions we do. I am desperate for people to understand that," added Eberle.

A June 2006 study in the Science journal noted that "empathy is thought to be unique to higher primates, possibly to humans alone."

However, "empathic behavior is essential for social activities in social animals," noted a July 2018 study in Brain and Behavior.

The 2018 study, which tested mice for empathy-like behaviors towards others who were distressed, found that "when the conspecific mice were in a painful state, subject mice showed preferential approach behavior toward them, presumably recognizing the state."

The study concluded that "the mouse recognizes the emotional state of the conspecific and engages in social interaction."

'So Much Love to Give'

A message overlaid on the latest viral video reads, "when I just need a quick break..." as the footage shows Eberle sitting down on the grass within an outdoor pen at the barn.

"And they come to check on me," another note across the screen reads. The clip shows the animals walking towards where Eberle is sitting and surrounding her and poking their heads near her.

Eberle is later seen getting up from the ground as another message across the clip reads, "They have so much love to give," before the video ends.

Eberle told Newsweek that she and her husband launched their nonprofit animal rescue after moving to Vermont from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018.

She left her career as an emergency room (ER) nurse to become a full-time caregiver to rescued animals. The sanctuary looks after 40 rescues, including cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks, as well as dogs and cats.

Eberle said: "I set out to save some animals but have quickly become a voice for them. My goal is for people to make a connection with the animals they have only known as food."

The caregiver hopes these animals can be seen for the sentient beings they are and for others to understand that "they have a voice; we just have to take the time to listen."

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