Tortoise saves the day in heart-warming video

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They are among the longest living animals, known for their calm determination – even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

A heart-warming video has emerged of a tortoise rescue showing the moment a dogged tortoise manages to flip a fellow creature back on to his feet and save the day.

The YouTube video, believed to have been filmed by Taiwanese tourists visiting Taipei Zoo, has already been viewed nearly a million times and has attracted hundreds of comments.

In the video the helpless tortoise, which contrary to popular belief is part of the larger turtle family, is prostrate upside down when another tortoise discovers his predicament.

Investigating, the resourceful tortoise manages to manoeuvre the land-dwelling mammal, who have been known to live for more than 150 years, before getting his beak under the hard shell and flipping him over.

Both animals then scuttle off (slowly, their top speed is 5mph) away from the camera – hopefully to no more disasters.

Tortoises have been revered in many cultures for their long life spans, and other symbolic properties. They were a symbol of the ancient Greek god Hermes and used by the ancient Chinese as oracle bones.