Friendship between animals is so special and amazing! There’s something especially charming about unexpected pairings of company which are sometimes very strange and produces all the happy-feels.
Animal species, more frequently than we think, find a way to get along considerably better than we humans do.
Here is group of wild animals which created very rare and unique friendship.
Male predators such as bears, tigers, and lions are typically aggressive. However, Leo the lion, Baloo the bear, and Shere Khan the tiger are a rare trio that shared a traumatic experience and established a lifelong friendship as a result.
The trio was discovered in 2001 after authorities searched a drug dealer’s home in Atlanta, Georgia. When the cops went down to the basement, they discovered three terrified and hungry cubs infected with parasites.
Baloo, an American black bear, was wearing a harness that had become buried in his body when he outgrew it. A Bengal tiger named Shere Khan was severely underweight. Leo, an African lion, has an open and infected cut on his face after being pushed inside a tiny container.
The DNR sent the three frightened animals to Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary (NAAS), a non-profit animal sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia, where they have a new 250-acre home. Because the cubs’ living conditions were so harmful and traumatic, the rescuers decided that bringing them inside the sanctuary rather than releasing them back into the wild was the best option.
Allison Hedgecoth, the sanctuary’s curator, said:
“They cuddled, played together, and groomed each other as they became more at ease. Hedgecoth wasn’t startled by their conduct; what astonished her was their continued relationship. She added that animals may create ties with members of different species, but that these bonds usually fade as they become older.”
Hedgecoth added:
“Before they reach sexual maturity, a lot of times, animals will form unique bonds with members of other species. What was surprising is how they kept that bond, that family unit well into adulthood.”
Since the trio, known as BLT (bear, lion, tiger), never left each other’s sides, the sanctuary decided to keep them together. Leo, Baloo, and Shere Khan ate food, slept, played, and lived together in the same habitat for 15 years.
Shere Khan is the group’s most loving and inquisitive member, frequently cuddling up to his siblings. Baloo is the laid-back, domineering, self-assured, and playful one who enjoys teasing Leo with soft bites. Leo might be aloof at times, but he is always aware of his surroundings.
Hedgecoth explained:
“Even though they live in a three-acre enclosure, they’re usually within 100 feet of each other. That’s proof that they’re not just coexisting or cohabiting, they actually do enjoy each other’s company.”
Leo and Shere Khan died in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Baloo was there at both of their burials and was there for them in their final days. Everyone at the sanctuary was devastated, but they knew they had done all possible to provide them with a happy existence. They’re also giving Baloo the assistance he requires and reassuring him that he’s not alone.
BLT aren’t the only mismatched rescue animals who’ve ended up at NAAS. A baby female bear and a male tiger were previously taken in by the sanctuary and nurtured together in the same area. When the bear and tiger reached sexual maturity, however, they no longer spent time together. After that, the sanctuary separated the two and placed them with their own species.
