This Gorilla And The Kitten Give Us The Most Agreeable Bff Goals Ever!

 Animals, whether domestic or wild, have been setting significant examples of their getting along with the modernity for quite a long time now, inspiring even the mankind. Afterall, cat and dog become friends, goat and sheep love each other and don’t forget our favorites the Chick and the Duck were best companions in Friends; among the animals at least! Whenever we are losing all hopes for humanity, there pops up tremendous examples that instantly restore our faith in the words of Mr. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, “There’s something good in this world and it’s worth fighting for.”

A combo of intense and meaningful relationships that we are about to tell you today portrays the value of life and importance of friendship, love, and care. We’ve come across with a list of the most unsettling friendships that are sure to make you look twice before you believe it. You are about to come across the most out of the league friendship stories for sure!!

Famous Elephant

Bubbles , a 46-year-old elephant, who was saved in 1984 now lives within the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve premises, near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The poor baby was left orphan after her herd was killed for their tusks, she was fortunate enough as she was one of the countable baby elephants who were flown to the United States while most of them were soon to be slaughtered and rest starved to death.

Over the decades the sanctuary has always felt blessed to have such an adorable girl to be a part of their family, where more than 100 other wild animals live. She sure is a popular one among her family, winning the award of World’s “Biggest” Movie Star in her name! Well, she worked with Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura, Janet Jackson’s music video and have been in for some photo shoots for magazines and ads as well. We must say, that’s a lot of fame for an elephant! We’re yet to introduce you to Bubbles’ best friend. You should keep no doubts as unique as this pretty elephant is, her bestie is no different and is her partner in crime!

Unexpected

While elephants are the biggest mammal on our planet, Labradors are awarded as the most friendly dogs’ breed. One is a wild species, living in the woods while other is known as a family pet and a superb watchdog. But we can rightly say, ‘everyone needs some doggy sometime.’ Now if you are wondering how the two were introduced, that too has an interesting story behind it. While you are aware of Bubbles’ story, her best friend has a whole different story and how Bella, the Labrador ended up in that sanctuary next to her buddy.

First Time They Met

Bella came in the Preserve with her owner who was the in charge of constructing a water pool for Bubbles. Once the construction was completed he abandoned Bella there itself. But the poor little pup’s story ended happily the moment she was first introduced with Bubbles (as pictured). They both seem to go against all the odds and stay in each others company due to one big similarity. No, that’s not four legs and a tail! Want to know what else could be similar to two completely different animal species?

Similarities

While elephants are famous to spend as much time possible in the water, not all the dogs like water that much. But Bella and Bubbles love to swim and play in the water. Bella loves to dive from  Bubbles back or head most of the times and they both spend ample amount of time in the same pool that was built by Bella’s owner. We’re glad that Bella found Bubbles and both are not just used to take baths together, there’s even more fun in their story!

Bubbles And Bella

Just like other animals, after taking baths they both love to take naps for a while and here comes the interesting part, they both sleep together! While we understand it’s hard for anyone to believe that a 9000 pounds elephant sleeps with a lab dog, Bella and Bubbles have their own understanding about everything and same goes for their naptime. Bella loves to chase Bubbles when she takes anyone for a short ride on her back. They both indeed are happy to find each other and so are we. And you’ll find the second story even weirder!

The Talking Gorilla

Here’s the reason why it could sound completely unrealistic to you, it’s not the kind of friendship that you share with your school/college friends but more of the one you share with your pet.

Hanabiko, famous with her nickname, Koko, a 48-year-old female western lowland gorilla who is known for learning more than 2000 hand signs as claimed by Francine Patterson, her instructor, and psychologist. Koko was lent to Francine for her doctoral research but the two have never been apart. Koko was born in a San Fransisco Zoo on July 4th, 1971, and has been living in Woodside, California for most of her life. She has been famous for her sign techniques as you can see her with the late actor Robin Williams, reportedly she was even sad when she was informed of his death in 2014. She grabbed everyone’s attention when she requested for a Christmas gift of her own choice! And that was a shock for everyone!

Koko And Her First Kitten

On one Christmas, back in the 1980s, Koko, whose favorite book is “The Three Little Kittens” and “Puss ‘n’ Boots,” asked for a kitten as her Christmas present. “But we gave her a life-like stuffed animal and she was terribly upset,” recalls Ron Cohn, a biologist. However, Koko was smart enough to know the difference and denied playing with the toy and kept indicating how sad it was! Soon, on her next birthday, she was allowed to choose a kitten and she adopted a gray and white kitten and named her ‘All Ball’. Cohn recalls, “The cat was a Manx and looked like a ball. Koko likes to rhyme words in sign language.” Both were on National Geographic magazine’s cover that month. Sadly, soon All Ball died and Koko was left disheartened.

Lipstick

Koko later got a new yellow cat whom she named as “Lipstick” but she too died after some time. And Koko, who adored her kittens a lot, was left alone. Koko, after Lipstick’s death, got a cute gray-tailless cat whom she named ” Smoky”, who lived with Koko over many years. She passed at her old age due to natural causes in 2004. Koko, who used to love kitten like a mother stayed kitty-less for many years after that. But that wasn’t it for her as now she was about to get a bigger opportunity.

Now Two Of Them!

In 2015, Koko got to chose ‘Miss Gray’, while ‘Miss Black’ chose Koko. Koko who showed the least interest in making close relations with other male Gorillas and hence had not become a mother till her 40s even, seemed to get connected with these kittens very closely.

Cunning Reply

She cared and pampered them just as she would’ve to her own baby gorilla! A funny famous incident about the innocence of Koko took place when she unintentionally broke a sink vase and when she was asked who did it, she blamed one of her kittens for it! A human-like nature and such a tricky yet friendly gesture, indeed!

Koko and Bubbles aren’t the only two, we’ve more on the list awaiting!

A BFF Trio

Who says one can have only one best friend? Not just humans tend to have a BFF group at times, also there’s an amazingly unique trio of three different species animals living together since their childhood.

While a drug raid in 2001, 18 years ago, three wild babies were rescued from terrible circumstances, from a drug dealer’s home in Atlanta who kept them in cages under his house. The three are famously known as BLT, a trio of Baloo the American black bear, Leo, the lion and Shere Khan, the Bengal tiger has been inseparable at the Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia. How the three stick together in bad times is inspiring!

Inseparable

All three of them were malnourished. Leo, the lion was restricted in a cage that was too small, he even had an open infected wound on his nose. Baloo’s condition was more serious, tied with a harness that was never loosened as he grew started growing into his flesh. The poor cub then had to undergo a surgery to get the harness removed and to get his severely infected wound cleaned. The one time Baloo was separated for the surgery, the two cubs showed anxiety. Later on, all three were brought together and were never separated for next 15 years until one sad day when one of these brothers left.

Chilled-Out Life

The trio won hearts around the globe by the unique brotherly bond they shared. More families visited the Sanctuary especially to see a tiger, a bear, and a lion together. They were never released back in the wild as they were too injured to be rehabilitated as stated by the sanctuary! “All three are still equally affectionate with one another,” Allison Hedgecoth, curator of Noah’s Ark said in an interview. She says that time hasn’t changed the family dynamics much. The three loved cuddling, eating, playing and taking baths together until one day.

From BLT To BT

August 16th, 2016 ended their chilled life phase when ‘The heart-wrenching decision was made to let him go,’ as the group posted on Facebook.

Leo died after months of not eating well while Leo underwent abdominal surgery, and vets found that he has inoperable tumors in his liver.”Animals are so perceptive and with the incredible bond the BLT had since being rescued together from a drug dealer’s basement in 2001, it is highly likely that Baloo and Shere Khan knew their lion brother was terminally ill long before Leo began displaying outward symptoms,” stated the sanctuary. And the brothers were also “given the opportunity to say goodbye.”

Stick Strongly

“He is watching over you guys, but most importantly he is watching over his brothers. They have been through thick and thin, hell and back, but the day you rescued them all together it was like heaven for them,” is written in the Sanctuary. After Leo is gone, Baloo and Shere Khan are doing well and spend most of the time in their woodhouse where they used to stay with Leo.

Long Necked!

At Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida, two young creatures are not getting enough of each other. They were best of pals and it was too strange for the zookeepers. But who would say no to a friend who is exactly like us! Well, that’s the reason what scientists think is behind this unique bond of Bea, a 3-year-old giraffe, and Wilma, a 10-year-old ostrich.  Before you think they’re held captive and that’s why they came close, let us tell you that they have around 65 acres area to move yet they stay close all the time.

Protective

However, Bea is more closely connected to her Wilma, than Wilma is, this is all that zookeepers have observed so far about them. Jason Green, assistant curator at the park said in an interview, “Bea likes to use her tongue to explore her surroundings, and Wilma isn’t fazed by those very close encounters.” Both of them are protective of each other and they don’t like any interruptions in their quality time with their best of a pal. “There’s plenty of opportunities for the animals to interact and know one another,” Green explained.

“Giraffes and ostriches are both naturally curious animals, too, and they don’t shy away from checking each other out,” Green further added. Maybe now we know the main reason other than their ‘long necks’ which brought the two closer and set an example for the rest of the world most probably lies in their curious natures.

Anjana The Chimp

Anjana was just 2 years old when she was given an opportunity to foster two white tiger babies, which she open heartedly accepted. The two cubs were taken away from their mother when the sanctuary was flooded during a hurricane. ”It was important for their safety that they were separated,”said China York, the chimp’s caretaker as well as of the adorable cubs who gave Anjana this chance and the chimp never let anyone down. Rather she amazingly set up a motherly example around the globe.

Surrogate Mother

“She picked up on the fact that I’m taking care of the babies so she wants to care for them. She’s not necessarily maternal but she’s really gentle with them. She likes to pet them and see how they’re doing and if they’re crying she gives them a finger to pacify on like you would a baby. Or she gives them a bottle to feed them on,” said China.

Dr. Bhagavan told further, “China’s role means that she is the caregiver to hundreds of animals when they are born. Anjana has been with China, side by side, ever since she was born and has joined her in caring and raising baby animals. So she helped her and acted as a surrogate mother to these animals and she has done these same with these baby white tigers. She gives them a bottle, lies with them and acts as a surrogate mother. She has a close contact and bond and gives them a nurturing.” We must thank China York, without her assistance we wouldn’t have got a chance to see this amazing bond and Mitra and Shiva found their motherly love again when they were just a few weeks old.

Friends For A While

While we would love to have our friends next to us all the time that’s not always the case and same can happen with animals too. Just like the story of Kasi, an eight week old, cheetah and Mtani, a three months old lab pup were first time introduced at the Cheetah habitat of Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida. And both became besties in few minutes and were raised together. The two stayed together for two long years, celebrating everything together playing with the sticks and have a beautiful brother-sister relationship. Until one day a fair decision was taken, proved to be good for one and bad for other!

Parted Ways

The pair gained a lot of fame as their pictures went viral and people just loved their bond, it was surely something amusing for everyone. But as time passed and Kasi was turning into a young adult his interest was supposed to get diverted and it was obvious to introduce him to more members of his own species. He was introduced to Jenna, a calm natured, young female cheetah and hence Kasi now spend less time with Mtani.

“We are currently exploring the best option for her. That could be continuing her role here at Busch Gardens as an animal ambassador, hanging out with Kasi when he’s not with Jenna or going home with one of our trainers to live the life of a regular pup,” explained Anna Chaney, Animal Care Specialist.

Wild Friends?

A wild Turkish fox and a cat! While most of the stories happened due to some kind of human intervention, this one is completely opposite. We can’t tell you, what we named them as these wonderful friends belong to no sanctuary or zoo. Unaware of the beginning of their story we can only say that one fine day, the two might have crossed paths and are together since then!

As per the reports, the world got to know this weird yet admirable friendship when fishermen discovered this duo on the banks of Lake Van in Turkey. The word spread and soon internet was overloaded with their recently captured images.

A Wise Friend

No one would deny if given a chance to have a wise friend and so Roscoe, a Blue Tick hound stray dog who followed a member of the preserve one day and accepted the friendship proposal of Suriya, a broken-hearted young orangutan, who was depressed because of her parent’s death and wasn’t responding positively to the medical treatments. The animal lovers took Roscoe in their shelter as he was too thin and seemed to be lost. “He followed us through the gate and ran over and found Suryia.

Never Alone

As soon as Suriya saw Roscoe, she ran over to him and they started playing. “It was unusual because dogs are usually scared of primates but they took to each other straight away. We made a few calls to see if he belonged to anyone and when no-one came forward, Roscoe ended up staying,” said the people of the sanctuary.

Ride With Bubbles

The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS), a South Carolina preserve for endangered animals. Yes, let’s take you back to our first story’s location. The two greatly adore Bubbles and love to play with him at times. Suriya pets Roscoe and loves to take him for walks daily. And Roscoe loves to grab the monkey biscuits that Suriya gives him. A good choice for both of them now they are not alone anymore as they do most of the stuff together.

Monkeying Iguana

Monkeys are known for their intense curiosity towards their surroundings and same happened in the Dusseldorf zoo in Germany. People have heard of the pair around the city but the world got to see these intriguing pictures when Conny Schmidt decided to go and have a look and she clicked them together. “They were both allowed to roam free in the cage, which was the tropical house part of the zoo. They seemed to really trust each other. The marmoset was very intrigued, touching the iguana. I had heard about them and their relationship as it is well known in the area, so these weren’t just lucky pictures,” ms Schmidt later explained.

Friends With Moodswings

And yes we all come across friends who fight talk and fight again! no matter how distant we still love them. This is just the same with Gebra and Fum. In May 2010, when they were just one month old they met. Fum a generous playful black cat and Gebra a kind trustworthy barn owl, they both enjoy spending time together but that doesn’t happen all the time.  At times, Fum would rather stay busy in hunting than to follow Gebra on her daily outing. Later, Gebra mostly uses to spend rest of her day in her semi-dark place. For years, they shared a sweet and sour bond which ended on May 4th, 2013 when Fum passed away due to sickness and leaving the world with a lesson to enrich every moment we get.

Concerned Friend

Anne Young, an amateur photographer clicked these pictures when she was on holiday in Bali. This wild long-tailed macaque adopted an abandoned kitten and now is very protective of her that he doesn’t even want anyone to click her picture too. In Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, was clicked while playing with her and introducing the ginger kitten with her other monkey friends, he wasn’t causing any harm to her rather keeping her safe and even the kitten seemed to be comfortable with her old friend.

Oversized!

“In some ways, capybaras are even more magical than unicorns because they are real, Says Melanie, the 100 pounds Capybara’s owner and further added, “Most commonly they’ll call him a giant hamster or a giant guinea pig. Those people tend to like him and be interested in learning more. Sometimes people will call him a giant rat. Those people are typically more standoffish or even hostile or afraid.” The name of this capybara is Gary and he loves to play with other animals but his favorite is Flopsy the cat who loves to keep a watch on Gary wherever he goes.

Wild Yet Homie

Melanie further told about keeping a wild animal, “You have to earn their love, the love of a basically wild animal is a special kind of love. It has not been conditioned into them for centuries. If they love you, it is honest, genuine, and intense. Gary is really very smart and he’s very affectionate. He comes when he’s called and he likes to sleep with me.”

Snuggling

While cats are furry and we’ve been domesticating them for don’t know how long, iguanas are newly trending and most of us won’t prefer to bring one home. But people shared their wonderful experiences when it comes to an iguana. They are bearded curious and very rare to get along with cats. But when Baby, a male cat, and Charles, a female bearded dragon, a type of iguana were introduced by Cheyenne and Isaac of Virginia Beach, Virginia who decided to marry wanted to see if their distinguished pets will manage to stay together.

Happy Family!

“I knew Baby would not hurt Charles when he went right up to her, sniffed and rubbed up against her,” says Cheyenne who further added, “One day I had Baby on my lap and Charles on my chest. Charles was looking to keep warm because she is a reptile, and crawled down to my lap to cuddle with Baby. Baby loved it and cuddled back even holding her and rubbing his face against hers.”

Friend In Need

Saving a mouse from flooded water in North India, this frog definitely became a true friend in need. These extraordinary pictures were clicked by Azam Husain who was chilling next to the water. Azam said, “I had parked my scooter on the shore near the pond,’ he said. ‘I noticed something floating and soon realized it was the rat holding onto some piece of debris. It was as if the two creatures were talking in their own way. The next moment, the rat managed to climb onto the back of the frog. All this happened very fast. I quickly reached for my bag and took out my camera.” Azam further added, “I managed to take a few pictures. I was fascinated with the way the frog swam and the rat held on tight. They were like friends. Sadly, I could not catch the moment when the frog reached the shore and rat just sped away. I looked around for a bit but both the little creatures had just gone back to their world.”

An Orphaned Kid

Themba was just 6 months old when her mother died after falling off a cliff. The vets in Sanbona wildlife reserve tried hard that any mother elephant should take his charge but sadly that never happened and the staff has to take Themba in their shelter so that he doesn’t starve to death.

In South Africa, Themba the elephant and Albert the sheep surprised everyone at the forest reserve with their unusual friendship. When they met the first time that wasn’t quite encouraging interaction we must tell you that.

Naturalist Lyndal Davies recalled, “All hell broke loose. Themba made a dash for the sheep and chased him around his watering hole. The next morning Albert was clearly bored and started venturing out into the main enclosure. Themba wouldn’t leave Albert’s side and the two were seen exploring their enclosure together, with Themba’s trunk resting on Albert’s back. Ever since that moment Themba and Albert have been inseparable.”

Couldn’t Save Themba

Dr. Johan Joubert said, “Albert is like a brother to Themba and he is definitely an important member of Themba’s herd. We were a bit concerned to start with that we may end up with an elephant that thought it was a sheep, however, it’s turned out to the other way round. Albert copies everything Themba does. In fact, they have almost the exact same diet. Albert is the first sheep I have ever seen eat a thorny acacia bush. He has been studying Themba and worked out the best way to get his mouth around the long, sharp thorns to reach the juicy leaves.’

Unfortunately, two years later in February 2013, Themba died due to severe colic, just later that month they were about to introduce him back to the wildlife.

Out of so many mind-blowing stories which one’s your favorite? Well, when there’s no hope left in life animals sure tell us, despite different nature, species and breeds, we all want to love and to be loved at times!