Picked up beloved animal (4)
I believe the answer is:
deer
'animal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'picked up beloved' is the wordplay.
'picked up' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'beloved' becomes 'dear' (synonyms).
'dear' is a homophone of 'DEER'.
(Other definitions for deer that I've seen before include "Source of venison" , "The male has antlers" , "Hoofed mammal" , "The - Hunter, 1978 film" , "Eg, stag or doe" .)