Animals don’t always follow the social rules we expect. Predators end up as roommates, loners go looking for company, and species that would never meet in the wild become inseparable in sanctuaries and zoos. Scientists are careful about calling any of this “friendship,” but in these cases the animals spent years playing, sleeping, and eating side by side, and they kept choosing to. Here are 15 of the strangest pairs.
1. Owen the Hippo and Mzee the Tortoise
Owen was a baby hippo who lost his herd after the 2004 tsunami hit the Kenyan coast. Once he was rescued and brought to Haller Park, he latched onto Mzee, an Aldabra giant tortoise believed to be around 130 years old. Owen followed him around, slept next to him, and kept nudging up against him. Staff later introduced Owen to another hippo as he grew, but for a while he seemed happy trailing a very slow tortoise.
2. Tarra the Elephant and Bella the Dog
Tarra, an Asian elephant at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, had plenty of elephant company. Her closest friend was still Bella, a stray dog who wandered onto the grounds. For about eight years, the two explored the sanctuary together and hung out in the same spots. Staff said Tarra even let Bella sleep in her stall and use her hay as a bed.
3. Baloo, Leo, and Shere Khan
This one took three species. Baloo the American black bear, Leo the African lion, and Shere Khan the Bengal tiger were found together as cubs in a 2001 police raid in Atlanta. They ended up at Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Georgia, where caretakers saw how attached they were and kept them together. For years, the trio ate, slept, and played as a group, even though three predators like these would never team up in the wild.
4. Kasi the Cheetah and Mtani the Labrador
Cheetahs can be jumpy in captivity, so zoos sometimes raise young ones alongside a calm dog. Kasi and Mtani, a yellow Lab at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, are one of the best-known pairs. They grew up together and stuck close until Kasi got older and started showing more interest in other cheetahs. The friendship didn’t last forever, but it was a lot more than a photo op.
5. Koko the Gorilla and All Ball the Kitten
In 1984, Koko was allowed to pick a kitten from a litter. She chose a small tailless cat and named her All Ball. Photos of Koko cradling the kitten became some of the most famous images of her. The Gorilla Foundation described the bond as affectionate and reported that Koko reacted strongly when All Ball later died. It’s hard to picture an animal that strong being so careful with something so small.
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6. Bubbles the Elephant and Bella the Labrador
Here’s another elephant whose best friend was a dog named Bella. This time it was Bubbles, an African elephant at a wildlife preserve in South Carolina. Bella reportedly showed up after a contractor working on the property left her behind. The two loved playing in the water, with Bella swimming circles around Bubbles and sometimes using her as a diving platform.
7. Suryia the Orangutan and Roscoe the Dog
Roscoe was a stray who wandered up to Suryia, an orangutan at a South Carolina wildlife preserve. They didn’t just put up with each other. They became regular playmates, and photos and accounts show them swimming, wrestling, and going for walks. The friendship even inspired a children’s book. Orangutans and dogs have no shared history of reading each other’s signals, so how relaxed they looked together is a little odd.
8. Bonedigger the Lion and Milo the Dachshund
A full-grown lion lying next to a dachshund makes the size gap obvious. Bonedigger and Milo met when the lion was a cub at an animal park in Oklahoma, and Milo stayed in his life as he grew. The lion could have hurt the little dog easily, but the two were seen resting and interacting up close again and again.
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9. Kate the Great Dane and Pippin the Deer
An abandoned fawn named Pippin needed help in British Columbia, and Kate, an older Great Dane, stepped in as a stand-in mother. Pippin eventually grew up and moved out into the surrounding forest, but she kept coming back to visit Kate. Their greetings and play sessions were documented for years, including by PBS’s Nature.
10. Themba the Elephant and Albert the Sheep
Themba was an orphaned elephant calf in South Africa. Caretakers introduced him to Albert, a sheep, to give him some company. At first neither of them seemed sold on the idea. That changed fast, and soon they were walking, eating, and resting together. The photos of a baby elephant asleep next to a sheep look staged, but the friendship lasted well past that first introduction.
11. Ben the Dog and Duggie the Dolphin
Ben and Duggie had a problem most animal friends don’t: one lived on land and the other in the Atlantic. Off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, Ben kept jumping into the water to swim with the dolphin. The routine became well known locally, and the pair later showed up in wildlife programs, spending long stretches swimming together offshore.
12. Bea the Giraffe and Wilma the Ostrich
Bea and Wilma shared a 65-acre habitat at Busch Gardens in Florida, so they had all the room they needed to avoid each other. They stayed close anyway. Bea, the giraffe, often walked up to Wilma, the ostrich, and checked her out with that long tongue. Wilma put up with it well enough that keepers started calling them unusually close.
13. Ruuxa the Cheetah and Raina the Dog
Ruuxa needed surgery on his front legs after developing a growth abnormality, and Raina stayed by him through treatment and rehab at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Once he could run normally again, the two kept appearing together, with the dog as a familiar presence during his training and public runs.
14. Charlie the Horse and Jack the Goat
Charlie was a blind horse, and Jack was a goat on the same ranch. Their bond was more practical than most on this list. Jack learned to stay next to Charlie and guide him around the property, which helped the horse move with more confidence. PBS featured them in its Animal Odd Couples series.
In the mood for more?
Check out 15 Animals With Social Lives More Complicated Than Most Humans, or take a look at 15 Animals That Could Soon Disappear Forever. If you want more surprising animal stories, try 14 Animals That Detect Signals Our Technology Still Struggles to Read.
