Manni The Wild Boar Piglet & Candy The Dog
Manni may well be the luckiest piglet on earth, and here's why! He was just a few weeks old, when a German family found him abandoned in a field on the brink of starvation. The family was so touched that they took the piglet home and kept him as a pet.
It turns out that the Dahlhaus family already had a pet of their own: a Jack Russell terrier named Candy. And, believe it or not, Candy and the wild boar piglet became best friends! > "They play together every day. They play hide and seek, romp around in the hedges and bushes and just have a lot of fun together", the owner said.
The Cat And The Fox
No matter how cute they look, foxes are potentially dangerous animals, especially if you have cats around the house! Although it's rare for foxes to feed on cats, they love chasing them around and sometimes this "game" may end in serious injuries.
Having said this, this picture is a shocker! A group of fishermen were sailing near the shores of Lake Van in Turkey, when they suddenly came across the most unusual pair of friends: a white furry cat and an adult fox! Believe it or not, they were spotted dozens of times playing around the shore.
Gandolph The Owl & Her Gosling
Located in Aberdeen, the North East Falconry Center is home not only to dozens of falcons, but to other species of birds too. The caretakers were worried when this owl named Gandolph started displaying signs of depression after failing to produce eggs.
The workers at the Center came up with the wisest idea ever: they gave the poor little owl a goose egg to kook after, and to their surprise, the plan worked! What's even crazier is that after the egg hatched, Gandolf took care of the gosling as if it were its own son.
Murray The Dog & The Badger
When this Doberman-Alsatian cross was just a puppy, he was rescued by the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Animal Sanctuary, a rescue center located in the U.K. This pooch named Murray grew up to be a real-life hero, and here's why.
One day, Murray spotted a motherless badger lying in the grass on the brink of death, and the brave little doggo brought him to the sanctuary. The badger received proper medical aid and was allowed to stay in the refuge, and he and Murray became great friends!
Susie The Dog & Tabitha The Pig
All sorts of animals have come an gone through the Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk, England, but never had the sanctuary's volunteers witnessed such an unusual friendship! One day, they adopted a piglet named Tabitha, and he made himself a friend that nobody would've expected.
Tabitha grew acquainted to this beautiful boxer called Susie. The two would play around all day and race each other across the fields. I thought those type of friendships only happened in Babe! It seems the movie wasn't so unrealistic after all!
Kate The Dog & Pippin The Deer
When this deer named Pippin was only three months old, her mother abandoned her unexpectedly. But just when she was about to lose all hopes for survival, in came Kate, the hero dog from the picture below.
Kate is a Great Dane who lives with her owner, Isobel Springett. One day, she was running around the fields when she spotted Pippin all alone. Aware that she was in poor health, Kate dragged her to the footsteps of her home, and as soon as Isobel came home from work, she took her to the vet. Pippin grew up to be a healthy deer and had 5 fawns of her own, and she and Kate remained friends forever.
Tinni The Dog & Sniffer The Fox
Even though dogs and foxes share very similar features, it's rare for them to be seen together. There's a reason why Toby and Tod part ways in the ending of Disney's The Fox and the Hound! But sometimes, nature surprises us in the most mysterious of ways.
These are Tinni the dog and Sniffer the fox. One day, Tinni's owner was taking him for a walk, when they came across Sniffer, and while foxes tend to run away every time they see a dog, these two fellas surprisingly hit it off. They then remained as friends, and Tinni's human dad never grows tired of taking pictures of them while they wander around the backyard.
Billy The Dog & Lily The Goat
It appears to be that dogs are not only humans' best friends, but the best friends of virtually any animal that we know of! Here we have a giant boxer, Billy, befriending a beautiful, fluffy little goat named Lily. Where did they meet?
Lily and Billy (don't you love repeating those names out loud?) met at a wildlife rescue center located near Devon, England. Even though Billy the boxer seems to be the older of the two, it actually goes the other way around! Billy was less than two weeks old when Lily found her abandoned in the fields, and according to the sanctuary's caretakers, they've looked after each other ever since that day.
Jess The Dog & Her Lambs
Jess is a lovable Springer Spaniel who lives with her owner, Louise Moorhouse, in a rural home in Devon, England (just like Billy and Lily from #6!). However, she's not Louise's only pet, as she also owns 4 beautiful lambs.
Surprisingly, Jess and the lambs get along great! She helps look after them, and sometimes she even feeds 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
Lake many animals on this list, Cindy the deer was abandoned when she was only a few weeks old. Fortunately, she was soon discovered by a caretaker who worked at the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Center in the English town of Somerset, so she ended up in good hands!
Cindy adapted quickly to life in the sanctuary, and she even made a few friends of her own! In fact, she grew acquainted to a Great Dane named Rocky, who happened to none other than the dog of the sanctuary's founder! Here they are, giving each other some love.
Fred The Dog & Dennis The Duckling
A dog and and a duckling? Say what??? The teeny tiny duck you see in the picture is called Dennis, and he was left orphaned after his mom was eaten alive by a fox near Essex, England. But little did he know that luck would soon be on his side, as he then met the greatest life companion he could ever ask for.
When Dennis was barely a week old, he came across this 4-year-old Labrador Retriever named Fred. Jeremy Goldsmith, the dog's owner, said in an interview that the pooch rescued Dennis and began looking after him ever since that day. > "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
Those two adorable lambs shown in the picture below were abandoned by their mother when they were a couple of months old. They were too young to fend for themselves, but there came Little Brown, the bravest cow ever!
Jersey cows are actually known for taking in babies that are not theirs, but a cow taking in a pair of lambs is definitely something you don't read every day in the news. Not only did Little Brown look after them, but she breastfed them too!
Chestnut The Squirrel & Sugar The Cat
To be honest, I never would've imagined a squirrel making friends with any other species other than its own. In fact, a cat and a squirrel getting a long is one of those things that only happen in Disney movies. But here's one of those cases where reality meets fiction!
This squirrel named Chestnut (yeah, they could've been more creative with the name) was a few months old when she was adopted by this cat named Sugar. Before she knew it, Chestnut was being raised by Sugar as if she were another of her kittens.
Suryia The Orangutan & Roscoe The Dog
Don't you love it when animals pose for the picture, just like these two are doing? Meet Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the Blue Tick dog, who live at a reserve for endangered animals in Myrtle Beach, USA.
Nobody expected these two fellas to become friends, but against all odds, they clicked since the day they met and they play and even swim together! Their friendship became the talk of the town, and they even have their own fan club and website!
Bonedigger The Lion & Milo The Dog
Lions are one of the fiercest animals on earth; after all, they're the Kings of the Jungle for a reason! But this lion named Bonedigger is far from threatening! He lives in an exotic animal park in Oklahoma, where he made the most unexpected pal.
When Bonedigger met Milo the Dachshund, they hit it off on the spot. However, little did the caretakers imagine that they would become lifelong friends. > "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
Remember the story of Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the dog? Well, this funny-looking chimpanzee named Anjana lives in the exact same rescue center, and he also made a very unusual friendship. I swear, you won't believe it!
Anjana made friends with... two white tiger cubs! How did a white tiger even make it to an American sanctuary in the first place? Anjana is like a mother to them and she even makes sure they have their dinner! > "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", one of the volunteers told Daily Mail.
Torque The Dog & Shrek The Owl
Shrek the owl was born a reptile center located in the heart of New Hampshire's New Forest National Park. The animal caretakers were worried that Shrek would be eaten by its own mother, who was displaying signs of stress and unusual aggressive behavior. Therefore, Shrek was separated from her mom and was raised indoors.
Shrek soon met Torque, this dashing greyhound, and to everyone's surprise, the dog would spend day in and day out guarding the birdy, always by its side. > "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 around at home and keeps his eye on her", one of the workers said.
Baloo The Bear, Leo The Lion & Shere Khan The Bengal Tiger
Back in 2001, an animal sanctuary in Georgia known as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources hit the headlines all over the world because of this most unusual animal friendship. As surreal as it sounds, a bear, a lion, and a tiger became BFF!
Baloo the black bear, Leo the African Lion and Shere Khan the Bengal tiger were rescued from captivity and taken to the sanctuary, where they quickly recovered from their malnourishment. By twist of fate, they grew up together and formed an unbreakable friendship.
The Pigeon & The Monkey
Pigeons just love making our city life impossible, so it's hard to picture them as loving and friendly creatures. But nature sure knows how to prove us wrong! A few years ago, a 3-month-old Macaque monkey was abandoned by his mom near the coasts of Nei Lingding Island, China, and then this happened.
The monkey was found by a team of animal rescuers, who took him to a rehabilitation center. Little did the primate imagine that he would not only receive proper love and care, but also meet his BFF, this white pigeon!
Rex The Dog & Ruby The Kangaroo
One day, a Pointer mix named Rex went out for his daily walk with his owner, when they suddenly stumbled upon a dead kangaroo. But the most shocking part was that there was a live joey inside its pouch! The man took the baby kangaroo home and adopted him as a pet, naming him Ruby.
No matter how cute and harmless they look, kangaroos can actually be pretty aggressive, so keeping them as a domestic pet is a huge no-no! But Ruby was calm and sweet and adapted quickly to his new lifestyle. So much so, that he even made great friends with Rex! A year later, he was sent to a Wildlife Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia.
Kasi The Cheetah & Mtani The Dog
Other than being the fastest land animals on earth, cheetahs are incredibly fierce predators, but it turns out they have their soft side too! Mtani the dog and Kasi the cheetah were raised together in an animal park in Tampa, Florida, and to everyone's surprise, they became close friends.
According to some experts, it's actually normal for cheetahs born and raised under captivity to pair up with dogs or with some other four-legged creature similar to their size. As the years passed, thousands of tourists started visiting Tampa just to have their own photograph taken with these two exotic mates!
Bubbles The Elephant & Bella The Dog
Are you ready for one of the most adorable animal friendships of all time? Bubbles the elephant was rescued in 1983 after her entire family was killed by poachers. She was taken to the Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, where lives to this day.
In 2007, they had a pool built for her so that she would stand the dense summer heat. The contractor in charge of building the pool took his dog to work, a black Labrador named Bella, and guess what? Bella and Bubbles became great friends!
Bea The Giraffe & Wilma The Ostrich
Can you imagine an ostrich interacting with any other animal? Well, as hard as it is to believe, a 3-year-old giraffe named Bea and a 10-year-old ostrich named Wilma living together at Busch Gardens, Florida, are best mates!
The park's assistant curator Jason Green said that some days they play with each other from day till night. > "Bea likes to use her tongue to explore her surroundings, and Wilma isn’t fazed by those very close encounters", Green said in an interview.