They say that dogs are a man’s best friend and for the most part, that’s absolutely
true.
They’re smart, loyal, caring and keep those pesky mailmen at bay.
But they’re not the only animals that have won the hearts of their owners, in fact, the
world is full of weird, wonderful and delightfully unusual friendships between man and beast.
Ready to meet these unlikely pairings?
Let’s get it on!
KIARA AND ADOLFO After a ban on exotic circus animals was implemented
in Mexico in 2014, a mysterious man known as Adolfo Karam began his lifelong crusade
of rescuing and rehabilitating big cats.
So committed to the cause, Adolfo opened his very own wildlife sanctuary to house and care
for the rescued animals.
One such animal was Kiara, who was named after the lioness in The Lion King, and was just
a small cub when she was rescued.
Adolfo raised Kiara like she was his own daughter, before sadly parting ways when she went to
a larger facility to grow up.
Years would pass, and it seems that despite the pair being separated for so long, Kiara
would never forget the kindness Adolfo showed her as a cub.
On his return, sanctuary officials were concerned she might treat her foster dad like any other
meat tossed into the enclosure.
But as Kiara saw her human dad, she ran over and crash-talked her human with slobbery kisses
and big-pawed cuddles.
It just goes to show that the bond between lion and man is strong, and that once a member
of the pride – always a member of the pride.
PET CAIMAN Never smile at a crocodile…
In what is perhaps the most out-there case of buyer’s remorse, Japanese native Nobumitsu
Murabayashi bought a cute baby Caiman in a street market 34 years ago.
The only thing is, he never anticipated that it would grow to almost 7 feet in length and
over 100 pounds in weight.
At full size, Nobumitsu actually had to get permission from the local government to keep
the pet that he admits he loves more than his wife!
When it came to naming the giant beast, he went for the obvious and least imaginative
choice, Caiman.
Nobumitsu loves nothing more than to brush his bizarre pet’s teeth and take him for
long walks along the streets of Kure City – on a leash of course, because he’s responsible
like that.
This gentle giant may look scary, but Caiman is actually just like a dog – only much
bigger, and with a whole lot more teeth.
SAMBATHS PYTHON Ask any scientist, and they’ll tell you
that reptiles lack the brain size and emotion to recognise and bond with their human owners.
Well tell that to 12-year-old Cambodian Sambath.
For the past 11 years, he’s had no need for a dog or a cat to keep him company – no,
his best friend is a 16-foot-long python named Chamroeun.
When Sambath’s mother was pregnant, she had a dream that a snake would protect her
unborn child.
Low and behold, she found Chamroeun coiled up in a tiny pile the size of a thumb under
her newborn son’s bed.
She tried to release it in bushes alongside a nearby river, but 2 weeks later the snake
came back to the same spot.
She took it as a sign that the slithering serpent was a magical spirit, and decided
it could stay.
Now Sambath sleeps nestled in the 12-inch-thick coils of his python pal, after kissing Chamroeun
goodnight – of course.
BRUTUS THE BEAR When you think of the largest land carnivore
on Earth, what comes to mind?
Brutality, savagery, and you running for your life.
What doesn’t immediately spring to mind is bear bromance.
Casey Anderson rescued Brutus the bear from an overcrowded wildlife park when he was just
5 months old.
They were going to euthanize the poor cub as they didn’t have the room for another
huge Grizzly.
But a sad story has turned into a lifelong friendship, as the pair have been inseparable
ever since.
Usually when you get married, you ask your brother, cousin, or best buddy to be your
best man but not Casey.
The Montana Grizzly Encounter Sanctuary resident was on his best behaviour, and gave his blessing
for his favourite human to tie the knot with his special lady.
Despite their bond, Casey still treats Brutus with the respect a 1-ton grizzly bear deserves
– after all, sometimes Brutus doesn’t know his own strength.
MOYO THE ELEPHANT An elephant never forgets… how much she
loves her humans!
After finding Moyo the African Elephant abandoned by her herd, half drowned, and surrounded
by a pack of hungry hyenas, wildlife ranger Roxy Danckwerts took her back to the ‘Wild
Is Life’ sanctuary and became her new foster mother.
Moyo loves her mom, following her around like a bad smell – well, everywhere that she
fits into anyways.
Now 14 months old, she’s getting a little too big for the house and takes up most of
the room on the couch.
Just like a teething puppy might chew a shoe or a TV remote control, nothing is safe from
Moyo’s inquisitive trunk.
House plants, coffee cups, napkins, and even food in the kitchen is all fair game.
Roxy secretly wishes that Moyo was toilet trained, as there are frequent… accidents.
AGEE THE POLAR BEAR Ok, so polar bears are no joke.
They’re solitary hunters and masters of the frozen tundra and ice floes of the far
north.
You’d have to be insane to get up close and personal with one – Mark Dumas is one
such insane person.
He runs Beyond Just Bears in Canada, and is the only person in the world to have smooched
a polar bear and survived to tell the tale.
Mark found Agee when she was just 8 weeks old, raising her like his own child.
Sure, she gave him a few nibbles as a cub, but then again, so does a puppy.
Now the two are inseparable, and love nothing better than to take a swim together in the
pool, or go star in film and TV series together.
It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase bear hug.
JESSICA THE HIPPO The humble hippo is responsible for more people
meeting a watery doom in Africa than the 20-foot crocodiles that also call the rivers home.
But they’re not all bad – just ask Tonie and Shirley Joubert, who absolutely adore
their pet Jessica.
The pair took her into their care after finding her in distress next to her dying mother on
the border of the Kruger game park.
They’re actually park rangers, and after nursing her back to health and releasing her
back into the wild, they were surprised to find that she kept trying to make her way
back home.
So they gave in, and now the half ton hippo sleeps in the family home and is a local celebrity,
having starred in over 90 films and documentaries.
HIROYUKI ARAKAWA AND YORIKO Some bonds between man and beast transcend
that of a mere family pet.
We’ve all had some pretty questionable looking significant others in the past, but nothing
tops 79-year-old Japanese diver Hiroyuki Arakawa and his life-long companion Yoriko the Giant
Sheepshead Wrasse.
One afternoon way back in 1992, he came across this giant fish while diving in the submerged
Shinto Shrine in Tateyama Bay.
It was love at first sight.
Yoriko was injured, extremely malnourished and starving to death as a result of her wounds.
Hiroyuki returned everyday with 5 crabs to make sure she recovered – a gesture for
which she is eternally grateful.
He still goes back as often as he can, and for almost 30 years, Yoriko recognises her
nautical sweetheart – rushing up to meet him and presenting her bulbous forehead for
a kiss.
Their relationship is a rarity in the world of fish, and although there’s evidence that
certain long-lived species have a better-than-goldfish memory, scientists are still baffled by Hiroyuki
and Yoriko’s love affair.
Here’s to another 30 years of marital bliss!
MARIA THE GOOSE Hallmark could make a movie about this one
– “A Man and His Goose: An Unlikely Friendship.”
Retired salesman Dominic Ehrler loves nothing better than to spend his now abundant free
time down at his local pond at Echo Park.
It was there that he met his soulmate – a grey Toulouse goose he affectionately named
Maria.
As he was walking around the lake one day, Maria decided to follow him.
At first he was unsure why, as he made it a point of not feeding the local fauna.
But this was a case of love at first site, and day after day Maria waits for Dominic
to take his morning stroll and accompanies him like a smitten lover.
When it’s time to go home, she flies behind Dominic as he rides his scooter, so now he
has to tuck Maria in and make sure she’s asleep before leaving the park each day – for
her own safety!
FAGIN THE CROW You may not know this, but crows are insanely
intelligent.
They’re one of the few non- primate animals with facial recognition, and are able to differentiate
and remember human faces.
Avid wildlife lover Vikkie Kenward, noticed Fagin the baby crow who had fallen out of
his nest and become injured.
She was unable to return him to his parents, so she took him home to care for his injuries
– fully intending to release Fagin back into the wild once he grew older.
Well it seemed like he had other ideas.
He fell in love with his human nursemaid, and instead of venturing forth back into the
world to seek out his own kind, decided that a steady diet of mealworms and crickets was
too good to pass up.
He’s become part of the family, and rarely leaves Vikkie’s side.
He’s free to come and go as he pleases, and after a day spent exploring the English
countryside, returns home.
Fagin doesn’t realise he’s a crow, and we’re not certain if Vikkie walks the family
dog, or Fagin does.