From cuddling with a python to playing games with a tiger, here are 10 unbelievable stories
of human animal bonds….
10.
Agee the Polar Bear
Most species of bear can be incredibly dangerous, so what would it take for you to spend a night
sleeping in the same bed as one?
Well, that’s what Mark Dumas, from British Columbia, does quite regularly, and his bear
of choice is the most dangerous of all- an 840 pound polar bear.
Standing at 7 feet tall, his best friend Agee has lived with him for most of her life.
They share an incredible bond and Marks says that the only people Agee likes are he and
his wife.
They regularly ‘wrestle’ and even pose for pictures with Mark’s head in her mouth.
This isn’t recommended behaviour around polar bears of course, but Mark is an experienced
bear handler and has worked with them for more than 40 years.
He says that he raised her as a cub and that he knows how to read her body language and
act safely around her.
Agee even purrs like a kitten whenever Mark’s around.
Still, no matter how confident you feel with them, it is important to remember that they
are wild animals.
These animal human bonds are remarkable, and rare.
9.
Pikin the Gorilla
Primates are the closest animals in the world to humans, so it’s perhaps no surprise that
there are a number of stories of incredibly close bonds between our species.
This image, the winner of 2017’s wildlife photographer of the year award, shows just
how amazing this friendship can be.
It’s of a gorilla called Pikin who, at the time, was being transferred to an animal sanctuary
in Cameroon by the Ape Action Africa charity.
Sadly, she had been captured by poachers who were planning on eating her, but she was rescued
just in time.
Usually during these transfers the gorillas are sedated, but Pikin’s medicine had worn
off just prior to this image being taken and, rather than being frightened or acting violently,
she woke up in the arms of her handler, Appolinaire Ndohoudou (doohoodoo) and hugged him.
The bond between these two extends much further than Appolinaire rescuing Pikin from her captors.
Appolinaire had also been forced to leave his home in Chad, in this case because of
the civil war, and had moved to Cameroon where he dedicated his life to caring for displaced
animals.
It is a story of strength and compassion and Jo-Anne McArthur, the photographer says he
is thankful that the image resonated with people and that he hopes to inspire people
to care just a little bit more about animals.
She says that she documents a lot of cruelty against animals but that sometimes she is
able to witness stories of rescue and friendship.
8.
Dindim the Penguin
You’ve probably heard tale of birds forming bonds with humans- often because they attach
to the first thing they see once they hatch- but this next story shows how intense and
integral this bond can become.
In 2012, Joao Pereira de Souza found a South American Magellanic penguin on an island off
the coast of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
The penguin was malnourished and covered in thick oil.
So De Souza immediately cleaned it’s feathers and found it a meal.
From that moment forth, the penguin developed an unbreakable bond with its rescuer.
It soon recovered and left for its migration.
Usually the species congregates to breed on the Patagonia coasts of Argentina and Chile,
as far as five thousand miles away.
Every year, Dindim the Penguin makes the journey, and spends 8 months on the island with the
retired fisherman.
De Souza refers to Dindim as one of his children and, before you start thinking that the penguin
just likes the island and the people, and not De Souza in particular- by all accounts
he’s the only person that it will let get close.
If anyone else tries to pet it, it will peck at them.
Instead, it’s far happier sitting on de Souza’s lap, and letting him feed him sardines!
7.
Chamroeun the Python
When you were a child, what pet did you wish for??
I wanted I giant panda but no luck!
If you were lucky, maybe you did get your wish but I’m not sure how many of you were
allowed to have a potentially dangerous animal that was many times bigger than you!!
It seems like this might not be such a big deal in Cambodia, where Uorn Sambath, a seven
year old boy, has an unusual bond with a 220 pound python.
It began when Uorn was three months old and the snake, then a baby too, slithered into
his crib.
They would sleep in the cradle together, and he even learned how to crawl alongside the
snake.
Um… this sounds extremely unsafe.
The python has grown up much faster than the boy, and eats more than 22 pounds of chicken
a week.
It’s becoming quite a financial difficulty for the family, so they have tried to make
the most of the fame that the story has generated, and encourage tourists to visit the boy and
his snake- which is now about 4 times longer than he is tall- at 16 feet long!
The boy cuddles with the python, rides it, kisses it and they just hang out together.
His parents believe the snake is a magical spirit who understands them and protects the
family from illness.
Wildlife and police officials tried to take the snake away in 2008 but couldn’t resist
the cuteness of the two cuddling.
Unfortunately in the most recent news that I could find, in 2011 the python bit Uorn,
who was then 12 years old on the leg.
She had been unresponsive and had never bitten before so the family decided to let the Wildlife
Rescue Team take her away to a Wildlife center.
6.
Humpback Whale
As anyone who has been diving will know, one of the most frightening sights you can see
when you’re underwater is the distinctive shape of a shark.
Even if it’s what you’re there to see, there’s a certain instinctive respect towards
the ocean’s top predators.
In October of 2017, Nan Hauser, a marine biologist, was snorkelling in the water with a humpback
whale when it started exhibiting some unusual behaviour.
Suddenly it put her under its fin, and started nudging her in a different direction.
She looked around to see what was going on, and spotted a tiger shark circling her.
The whale even, at one point, lifted her out of the water to keep her safe.
Following the incident, Nan said that there was another whale in the distance that was
splashing its tail and helping to distract the shark from setting its sights on her.
It’s evidence that humpback whales are far more nurturing than you might initially think,
and shows their intuitive protective behaviour for other creatures- something that’s not
too common in the animal kingdom.
5.
Rambo the Alligator
When you think about the ideal pets to have around the house, ones with rows of sharp
teeth probably wouldn’t be on the top of your list.
Mary Thorn, from Florida, doesn’t see it as a problem, though, and even had to plead
a case to the authorities to allow her to keep her pet of 10 years, an almost 6 foot
long alligator.
She first adopted the gator when it was young, and even set up an entertainment business
where she would take “Rambo” to parties and events, with her social media channels
full of images of people holding him, and him being dressed in a wide range of outfits.
She’d take him everywhere with her, and even let him ride motorcycles and ATV’s.
Rambo has grown a lot since she first got him, and the recent ruling has allowed her
to keep him at her home, as long as she follows certain rules.
She can no longer take him for public appearances, and he must have his mouth taped shut when
leaving the house.
The rule that’s bothered her most, though, is that she needs to get a ‘pet’ license.
She wholeheartedly considers the gator to be a part of her family, and doesn’t think
they should be seen as animals that can be kept as pets, but should instead be considered
equals.
4.
The Port Jackson Shark
Rick Anderson is an Australian diver who regularly swims in the waters off the southern coast.
He strongly believes that sharks are friendly creatures, and it was while showing this to
a group of students a few years ago, that he developed a strong bond with a Port Jackson
shark.
It was still very young, and he approached it and tickled it before giving it a cuddle.
The markings on the sharks are as distinctive as any other animals, so each time he re-visited
the area, he would find it again and, again, and go in for a hug or a cuddle.
Now, whenever he enters the water, the shark swims up to him!
This friendship has now been going on for a number of years.
Occasionally the shark will give him a friendly nip, but, according to Anderson, the thing
he’s most concerned about is that the shark would leave him and develop a friendship with
another diver.
He says he would be heartbroken if this happened, so he ensures that he regularly visits just
to make sure the Port Jackson shark doesn’t forget who he is.
3.
Kham Lha the Elephant
The Save Elephant Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand was set up to help protect the endangered
creatures from environmental pressures and, more importantly, from illegal poachers.
The volunteers work closely with the elephants year round, and the bonds they develop with
them are incredible.
Kham La was rescued at 5 years old and whenever Darrick Thompson who is a co-founder of the
organisation, calls her name, she comes running towards him like the biggest puppy in the
world, calling out in excitement.
In 2016, Darrick was by a river where Kham Lha, a young elephant, was playing.
He called out to her to get her attention, but she misunderstood and thought he was calling
out for help.
She immediately ran through the water, sheltered him with her body, and extended her trunk
out for him to hold on to.
Of course, Thompson was completely ok, but it just shows how close a bond the two have
developed ever since he rescued her when she was very young.
In Thailand, elephants are usually subjected to brutal training and organizations like
Save Elephant Foundation give them a chance to recover and live in peace with their elephant
families.
2.
Mulan the Tigress
In 2007, Abdullah Sholeh, from Indonesia, took on a job that isn’t for the faint hearted-
he became a nanny for a 3 month old tiger cub.
Named “Mulan Jamillah”, the Bengal tigress was donated to a school in Malang soon after
her birth because her previous owner couldn’t take care of her.
It started off as a part time job for Abdullah, but soon became a full time position, and
he spent almost 24 hours a day with her.
If he’s not in her enclosure she becomes visibly anxious, and she is only calm once
he has returned.
After 10 together, they have developed an extreme attachment to each other and Andullah
misses her if he is away too long.
She acts just like any pet cat, but the consequences of her being overly friendly are always present
in his mind.
He’s covered in scratches from when they play, because of course, she’s a tiger!!
He feeds her about 6 kg of meat a day, usually chicken or goat- and even sometimes will feed
it to her from his own mouth.
Despite this protein rich diet, Abdullah says that her favourite meal is instant noodles-
something that’s kept only for special occasions!
1.
Jessica the Hippo
Jessica the hippo is famous around the world as being one of the only hippos to be kept
in captivity without being contained in an enclosure.
Many would argue that hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in the world because
of their size, strength, and aggressive nature, but Jessica is often hailed as proof that
they can live a more calm existence.
Tonie and Shirley Joubert found her on the outskirts of the Kruger national park when
she was very young, and adopted her as their own child.
Now she has free reign of the family home, but the favourite spot for the half tonne
animal is on the sidewalk.
She’s actually so calm that visitors are able to visit the home and feed her, and she’s
also starred in more than 90 movies and documentaries.
Her temperament is quite unusual for hippos, though, so if you ever find yourself near
to one, you’d be best to carefully back off- unless it’s Jessica, of course, in
which case you should feed her a bottle of juice.
Thanks for watching!!
Do you jhave a special bond with an animal??
Id love to hear about it in the comments!!
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