While the world is used to seeing household pets form deep connections with their owners, the idea that wild animals can share the same bonds with animals from other species is still a novel concept.
Photo: Sassy Streak
That is why we scoured the web and found the world’s most unusual animal friendships that will surely change your perspective, from elephants and lions becoming friends to giraffes and ducklings finding comfort in each other’s company. Scroll on and be surprised.
Manni The Wild Boar Piglet & Candy The Dog
The Dahlhaus family already had a pet of their own, a Jack Russell terrier named Candy and while they loved animals, the family wasn’t prepared to raise a wild pig. But they did just that when they found a piglet in a field on the brink of starvation.
Photo: Pet Bucket
The family wasn’t the only one focused on rescuing the piglet, and their Jack Russell terrier immediately bonded with the lost pig! “They play together every day. They play hide and seek, romp around in the hedges and bushes, and have a lot of fun together”, the owner said.
The Cat And The Fox
The idea of a cat and a fox being best friends seems like a setting for a children’s book rather than real life, but here we have it. She was caught on camera by a group of fishermen, who were mesmerized by this duo.
Photo: Pet Finder
Shot near the shores of Lake Van in Turkey, the stray cat, and wild fox were working together to catch prey rather than fight each other for scarce resources. The fisherman also noticed that the cat even groomed the fox as a way to say thank you!
Gandolph The Owl & Her Gosling
Located in Aberdeen, the North East Falconry Center is home not only to dozens of falcons but also to other species of birds. And while caretakers are devoted to keeping all the birds safe by separating them, these two somehow form a strong connection.
Photo: Pinterest
It all started when the caretakers were anxious when this owl named Gandolph began to display signs of depression after failing to produce eggs. And after a few failed pregnancies, they decided on the unconventional method of putting an abandoned goose egg into her nest, and well, a month later, the egg hatched, and in Gandolf eye’s she sees the gosling as her blood!
Murray The Dog & The Badger
Dogs are known to hunt small wild animals, with Dobermans being notorious for this habit. But when this Doberman-Alsatian puppy spotted a motherless badger lying in the grass on the brink of death, the brave little doggo brought him to safety.
Photo: Mirror
Thankfully, rescue workers were able to save the badger. While most stories end here, this one doesn’t. The dog and the badger bonded from their experience and formed an unexpected friendship.
Susie The Dog & Tabitha The Pig
The caretakers at the Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk, England, had seen their fair share of animal friendships and bonds. Still, when the volunteers noticed how Susie, a boxer adopted an orphan piglet, they were enchanted.
Photo: One Green Planet
It all happened overnight when Susie was introduced to Tabitha and instantly became protective over the piglet. The dog went out of its way to play with Tabitha and groomed the lost piglet.
Kate The Dog & Pippin The Deer
It is a known fact that dogs are natural-born predators and were regularly used for hunting deer, but Kate, a Great Dane with her owner, Isobel Springett, had other ideas. So when the dog spotted a three-month-old lost deer, she chose to protect the animal instead.
Photo: YouTube
The great Dane’s instincts told her that the deer was sick, so it dragged the fawn back to her house! Thankfully, Isobel knew precisely what to do and helped the deer. She called it Pippin and ended up taking care of the deer, who had five fawns of her own, and she and Kate remained friends forever.
Tinni The Dog & Sniffer The Fox
This list proves that dogs can and do become friends with all animals. Here we have one who became best friends with a fox! It was a chance meeting when Tinni spotted the fox while hiking with its owner.
Photo: Imgur
But the dog was tender towards the fox rather than chance it or bark at it. The owner recounted how the fox also seemed very curious, and both looked like they were making an intentional effort to become friends.
Billy The Dog & Lily The Goat
And here we have another doggy becoming best friends with not just its human but an animal from another species. Billy, a boxer, befriends a little goat named Lily. The two met at a wildlife rescue center located near Devon, England.
Photo: Richard Austin
While you might have heard many stories of dogs rescuing other animals, this one was the other way around. Lilly, the goat, found Billy abandoned in a field. And made the sanctuary workers bring back the puppy. Ever since, the two have been fast friends!
Jess The Dog & Her Lambs
The lovable Springer Spaniel Jess lives with her owner, Louise Moorhouse, and four beautiful lambs. And while no one would have been surprised to see the Springer Spaniel herd the lambs, that isn’t precisely what Jess is known for.
Photo: Richard Austin
The doggy spends most of her time caring for the lambs, from making sure they don’t hurt themselves to even feeding them with a bottle! “It’s like having an extra pair of hands. She’s been doing it ever since she was a puppy. I taught her to hold the milk bottle in her mouth, and she did the rest”, Louise told The Daily Mail.
Rocky The Dog & Cindy The Deer
Abandoned when she was only a few weeks old, Cindy wouldn’t have made it if she hadn’t been discovered by a caretaker who worked at the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Center in the English town of Somerset.
Photo: Fur Funnies
The rescue center didn’t have any wild deer, but Cindy did socialize with a Great Dane named Rocky. While an odd pair, the two immediately bonded and became fast friends! Rocky even shared his food with his new furry friend!
Fred The Dog & Dennis The Duckling
When Fred, a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever, found a tiny sickly duckling in a park, his owner worried that the excited pooch might harm the helpless bird, but instead, Fred began cleaning it and protecting the ducking.
Photo: Lol Book
His owner, Jeremy Goldsmith, witnessed the entire thing and felt obligated to take the duckling home and care for it based on the dog’s reaction. “Fred, who has always been extremely loving, went straight up to him and began to lick the little bird clean. Since then, Dennis has not stopped following him around, and Fred has pretty much adopted him”, Jeremy said.
Little Brown The Cow & Her Lambs
While dogs dominate our list, other animals also tend to form strong bonds. Here we have a cow who managed to adopt two lambs! But unfortunately, when their mother died, the farmer had no hope that the orphaned lambs would survive.
Photo: Hypertomb
Until he saw that his cow, named Little Brown, started treating the lambs as her babies, the cow fed them, groomed them, and slept with them! And this bond remained well after they became adults!
Chestnut The Squirrel & Sugar The Cat
If we didn’t have this picture for proof, we would’ve had a hard time imagining a squirrel making friends with anyone, let alone a cat! But this friendship seems stolen from a Disney film that happened in real life!
Photo: Fur Funnies
This squirrel named Chestnut was only a few months old when she was adopted by a house cat named Sugar. The cat would sneak food from its bowl to feed the squirrel outside and clean it as if it were one of her kittens.
Suryia The Orangutan & Roscoe The Dog
Not only are these two best of friends, but both of them also never shy away from a photoshoot. Meet Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the Blue Tick dog, who live at a reserve for endangered animals in Myrtle Beach, USA.
Photo: Wow, Amazing
Orangutans are known to thrive in social groups, but no one expected Suriya to become friends with a dog! But the odd pair clicked from the first day, and they played and swam together! The two even have their fan club and website!
Bonedigger The Lion & Milo The Dog
You don’t have to be an expert with animals to know that Lions are one of the fiercest animals on earth, and one wrong move can cause them to attack! But when a lion named Bonedigger, who lives in an exotic animal park in Oklahoma, was introduced to a Dachshund, he had the most unexpected reaction.
Photo: mistressmaddie.blogspot.com
The small dog named Milo went out of its way to meet the lion and would lick Bonedigger’s face and mane! “Milo does his best to copy Bonedigger when the lion tries puffing to communicate with other lions in the park,” one of the caretakers said.
Anjana The Chimpanzee & The White Tiger Cubs
There is something in the waters at the rescue center in Myrtle Beach, USA. Not only does the sanctuary take care of Suryia, the orangutan, and Roscoe, the dog? But also blessed us with Anjana, The Chimpanzee & The White Tiger Cubs!
Photo: Save Our Green
The mother feeds and takes care of her children and adopts two white tiger cubs! “She gives them a bottle, lies with them, and acts as a surrogate mother. She has close contact and bond and gives them the nurturing they need”, one of the volunteers told Daily Mail.
Torque The Dog & Shrek The Owl
Shrek, the owl, was born in a reptile center in New Hampshire’s New Forest National Park. She was separated from her mother when she started displaying signs of stress and unusually aggressive behavior toward her own child!
Photo: Dogvacay
Therefore, Shrek was separated from her mom and was raised indoors. This was when she met Torque, a greyhound. “Their relationship is so unusual but also rather sweet. Torque seems to have adopted Shrek as his daughter and is now very protective. He follows her at home and keeps his eye on her”, one of the workers said.
Baloo The Bear, Leo The Lion & Shere Khan The Bengal Tiger
Before we even get into the story of this unusual friendship, we have to give major kudos to whoever named this trio! Voila! Now, that is out of the way. Let’s get to the start of 2001 when an animal sanctuary in Georgia known as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources hit the headlines all over the world.
Photo: Bullets First
These pictures of a black bear, an African lion, and a Bengal tiger playing together and living in harmony were all anyone could talk about! All three had been saved from captivity and recovered together from malnourishment and emotional trauma!
The Pigeon & The Monkey
Pigeons are synonymous with any metropolitan city but in one town in China, so are monkeys. But despite having an abundance of both, pigeons and monkeys are never seen as friends until an orphan baby monkey seeks solace in the company of a pigeon.
Photo: Today
This picture, which a street photographer took, shows the monkey hugging the pigeon; later, the duo even shared food! Thankfully, animal rescuers were called, and the orphan monkey was taken to a rehabilitation center.
Rex The Dog & Ruby The Kangaroo
A Pointer mix named Rex stumbled upon a dead kangaroo during a long hike! While the owner was distraught by the gruesome sight, Rex kept barking! Until a live joey inside its pouch started moving!
Photo: Pinterest
If it hadn’t been for the doggie’s constant barking, the owner wouldn’t have had a chance to save the baby kangaroo. So instead, he took it straight to a Wildlife Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. And despite it being several years since that day, Rex still visits the Kangaroo several times a year! And they remain good friends!