5 Phenomenal Animal Friendships

Here are 6 of the most surprising inter species animal friendships. A must read inspirational post. 

1- Gorilla and cat

Koko the gorilla is one of the most studied primates in history. Her handlers have been examining her remarkable ability to understand language. Koko communicates in American Sign Language, and has been known to create her own terms for new items and ideas using signs she already knows (calling a ring a ‘finger-bracelet’ for instance). In 1984, Koko asked her trainers whether she might be allowed to keep a pet cat. She chose a grey kitten and called it All Ball. Koko nurtured All Ball as if it were a baby gorilla, and would appear distressed when parted from it. When All Ball was knocked down and killed by a car, Koko was seen to mourn the cat’s death, and use signs for ‘sad’ and ‘frown’ to describe her feelings. She has since had several more pets.



2- Elephant and sheep

When Themba the elephant was a calf, his mother fell to her death. The orphan elephant was found and rescued by rangers at the Shamwari reserve in South Africa. At the reserve Themba was placed in a pen to protect him from other animals. Since elephants are social animals, it was decided to place a sheep called Albert in the pen to offer Themba companionship. At first the elephant made a game of chasing the sheep but the two eventually bonded and could be seen sleeping together at night. When it was time to begin preparing Themba for release, Albert was removed from the pen and Themba was introduced to more typical animals from South Africa. Before Themba could be released he succumbed to a disease of the intestine. Albert has remained at the reserve.

 

3- Dog and otter

When a sea otter pup was found abandoned on a building site in Wales, it was taken to a wildlife reserve to be fed and treated and returned to full health. The aim was to heal the otter and set him free again. After a few months at the reserve, the pup’s handlers decided he needed a playmate to use up some of his boisterous energy. Since otters have a nasty nip and are very inquisitive it was thought the perfect playmate for the pup would be a puppy. An eight month old Labrador called Molly was brought in and the two played together while the otter was taught to swim. The otter, called Geraint, is due to be released in the very near future.

4- Tiger, bear, and lion.


While most of the animal partnerships on this list were thrown together by accident or misfortune, this unusual friendship between a tiger, a lion, and a bear came about after they were rescued from a drug baron’s house during a police raid. The cubs, in Atlanta, were moved to an animal sanctuary and were kept together despite all three species being known for their aggressive tendencies. Now fully grown, they can still be seen playing together and settling down to sleep in the same wooden shelter in the evening. The animals had been kept by their original owner as status symbols. Some experts estimate that there are more than 5,000 tigers in private hands in the US – more than those remaining in the wild

.

5- Orangutan and dog

Suryia, an orangutan, and Roscoe, a dog, were raised together in a South Carolina sanctuary. The two met when Suryia spotted the homeless Roscoe wandering into an animal centre. The keepers decided to adopt the dog, and allowed him to spend time with Suryia to give the primate some friendship. Orangutans are very intelligent, and prefer not to be on their own.The orangutan takes the dog for walks around the enclosure on a lead, and swims with him. There are also pictures online of the pair being taken for a ride on the back of an elephant, which also lives in the sanctuary. The two animals have become the subject of a book being used to raise money for their shared home. 



6- Snake and hamster

In many countries it is illegal to feed live vertebrates to other animals. In Japan, however, it is permitted to feed live rodents to snakes. In Tokyo zoo, a hamster was placed in the terrarium of a snake called Aochan, who was refusing to eat frozen rats. Aochan, a rat snake, would be expected to make a meal of a hamster but instead left it alone. The hamster does not seem afraid of his reptile chum and often sleeps on top of Aochan. At first the keepers thought there might be something wrong with the snake, or that he would eat the hamster in time – but the two remained companions for several months. They became an attraction at the zoo, and the lucky hamster was called Gohan by his keepers, meaning ‘Meal.’