Interspecies Friends

Crow and kitten are friends

2009-01-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

Rat loves cat. Cat tolerates rat.

2009-01-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

Dog, cat, and a rat in San Francisco

2009-01-23T08:36:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Eitan: a dog, a cat, and a rat trio on a corner in the Marina in San Francisco.

Thanks to Eitan for sending. Remember to send your pics to dan@interspeciesfriends.com.

Pelican and cat

2009-01-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

Strange.

Boobah the owl and Hazel the German shepherd

2009-01-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

Not the best picture, but according to the Daily Mail: "Boobah the owl and Hazel the German shepherd have become inseparable, with the bird regularly perching on the dog's head or back for a ride."

Farm friends

2009-01-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

Probably the most diverse interspecies friendship so far.

Dog and baby fox

2009-01-19T10:30:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of photographer Tanja Askani, who took the real-life Bambi and Thumper photos.

German shepherd and a wet cat

2009-01-18T10:05:00.001-05:00

The cat doesn't look happy, but this pic still qualifies.

Koko and cat

2009-01-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Koko - the famous gorilla - holding a cat.

Lorelai's pillow

2009-01-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Studio 950's flickr: "Sometimes after she finishes grooming Isabella the chihuahua, our cat Lorelai uses her as a pillow. Isabella doesn't seem to mind."

Cat and dog

2009-01-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Luna the whale and dog

2009-01-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

The killer whale is Luna, who showed up in Nootka Sound, Canada in 2001.

Romeo and Sambora

2009-01-13T09:55:00.001-05:00

More pics on flickr.

Kitten and rabbit

2009-01-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Monkey and cat

2009-01-11T08:50:00.000-05:00

Cat and turtle cuddling

2009-01-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

One of the more bizarre pics I've come across.

Kitten and stuffed rooster

2009-01-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Technically friendships with inanimate objects don't count, but thought I'd post this anyway.

Cute dog and cat

2009-01-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

Dog and kitten

2009-01-07T08:34:00.001-05:00

One of the cutest I've ever seen.

Sophie and Melvin

2009-01-06T09:28:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of Parade, Sophie the cat loves Little Melvin, an abandoned baby cottontail rabbit.

Dog and duck

2009-01-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

Strange but cute:

Moko the dolphin saves beached whales

2009-01-04T09:18:00.001-05:00

A March 2008 story from the BBC:

A dolphin has come to the rescue of two whales which had become stranded on a beach in New Zealand. Conservation officer Malcolm Smith told the BBC that he and a group of other people had tried in vain for an hour and a half to get the whales to sea.

The pygmy sperm whales had repeatedly beached, and both they and the humans were tired and set to give up, he said. But then the dolphin appeared, communicated with the whales, and led them to safety.

Rat on cat

2009-01-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

Whiplash the cowboy monkey

2009-01-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

Whiplash is an 18-year-old capuchin monkey trained to ride border collies and herd sheep. He even has his own website.

Check out the video:

Bear on horse

2009-01-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

Hero dog risks life to save kittens from fire

2008-12-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

Leo the terrier was hailed as a hero after he risked his life to save a litter of newborn kittens from a house fire in Melbourne, Australia. He had to be revived with oxygen and heart massage after his idea. Fire fighters who revived Leo said he refused to leave the building and was found by them alongside the litter of kittens.

Another video available here. Thanks to Aileen for sending this story.

Baby monkey gets his own guard dog

2008-12-30T09:54:00.001-05:00

According to Ananova, keepers at a Chinese Zoo have given an orphan monkey its own guard dog to prevent it from being bullied by bigger primates.

Thanks to Aileen for sending!

Cat of the year

2008-12-29T15:37:00.004-05:00

This is one of my new favorites.

Meet Cashew and Libby.

Libby was honored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as Cat of the Year. The Daily Item explained:

Cashew, a yellow Labrador/Shar Pei mix who died in 2005 at 14, gradually went blind and deaf due to old age, Terry said.

As the dog found it harder and harder to get around, Libby stepped in, leading her canine friend to her food bowl, waiting for Cashew's return from inside the Burns' home and watching over the dog while the two slept side-by-side.

According to the article, Libby hasn't gotten over the death of Cashew and is not interested in making friends with new dogs.

Friends in Berlin can't bear to be apart

2008-12-28T15:23:00.000-05:00

A cat and a bear have been living happily in a Berlin Zoo for more than eight years. The Sun explains:

Meet furry friends Mausi and Muschi – the cat and the bear who are a zoo’s odd couple.

The female moggy and the male Asian black bear live, eat, sleep and even play together.

Their unlikely friendship was forged seven years ago when Mausi entered Muschi’s enclosure at Germany’s Berlin Zoo and started to eat his food.

Strange but cute

2008-12-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

Try this on your cat

2008-12-26T15:12:00.002-05:00

Caught this cool photo on Larry Ferrante's flickr.

Christmas friends

2008-12-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

Nice Christmas-themed animal friendship photo from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society - even though the hat looks like it was photoshopped.

Polar bear and huskies

2008-12-24T15:02:00.000-05:00

Photographer Norbert Rosing captured these images of a 1,200 lb. polar bear playing with husky sled dogs in Canada's Hudson Bay. More photos here.

Animal friendship puzzle

2008-12-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

BestQualityToys.com is selling a 1,000 piece puzzle of this pic.

"Friendship at the water's edge"

2008-12-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

Reported in the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune in 2001 - Chino, a golden retriever, developed a friendship with this favorite fish, Falstaff. The pair "spend long stretches of time engrossed in each other's company."

Dog is baby kangaroo's best friend

2008-12-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

Rex, a German short-haired tiger cross, came upon a dead kangaroo in a road in Victoria, Australia. Amazingly, one of its joeys was alive in its mother's pouch. Rex rescued the joey, took it home, and dropped it at his owner's feet.

The Guardian reports that this dog and baby kangaroo are now best friends:

Golden retriever adopts tiger cubs

2008-12-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

These tiger cubs were born just this Sunday at Safari Zoological Park in Kansas - but their mother soon abandoned them. Luckily Isabella the golden retriever just weaned her own puppies and was able to adopt the cubs:

Check out this NPR interview with Allie Harvey, who runs the zoo.

Owen and Mzee: world famous interspecies friends

2008-12-19T11:11:00.000-05:00

Meet Owen and Mzee, the hippo and tortoise who became world-wide interspecies celebrities as a result of their astonishing friendship.

Owen, a baby hippo, was rescued in the Indian Ocean after the 2004 earthquake. He was put in a pen with Mzee, a 130-year-old Aldabra Giant Tortoise. Over time the two became inseparable companions - eating, sleeping, swimming, and playing together. And they became famous; Owen and Mzee: The true story of a remarkable friendship hit the New York Times bestseller list.

Caretakers eventually moved Owen to a new enclosure with a female hippo, Cleo, so the friendship has ended, but you can still enjoy these photos:

There's a great article in National Geographic about the pair, and you can check out much more at the Owen and Mzee web site.

Cat adopts rabbit

2008-12-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Eric and Deb for sending this awesome video of a Snaggle Puss the cat and Bubbles the baby rabbit:

Sharky the pit bull and his chicks

2008-12-17T12:53:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to wait until Easter next year to post this. Check out these two videos of Sharky the Pit Bull and his chicks:

There are many more videos of Sharky on YouTube.

Thanks to Corinne for sending.

NYT Sunday Book Review on interspecies friendship

2008-12-16T12:29:00.000-05:00

I don't have a photo for this post, but I thought some might find this interesting anyway.

Believe it or not, two years ago the New York Times Sunday Book Review published a review of several books on interspecies friendships.

In "Can't We All Just Get Along?," author Sarah Ellis writes:

"What is it that so appeals to us about implausible animal cooperation? We humans seem to have a great hunger for the wolf to dwell with the lamb. Is this a vision of paradise? An alternative to our deep-seated fear that we are all either predator or prey? Whatever is at work, it is evident that we find stories of interspecies relationships deeply satisfying and that we are eager to present these to children."

Thanks to Andrea for sending this.

Prey and predator share a cage

2008-12-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

Not the cutest pair, but an unlikely animal friendship worth sharing nonetheless.

As reported in Ananova, a wolf and a goat have become inseparable after zookeepers in Nanchong had them share a cage:

According to the article, the wolf and goat do everything together - except share meals.

Thanks to Aileen for sending!

Cat adopts red panda

2008-12-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

An Artis zookeeper's tabby cat has adopted and is nursing an abandoned baby red panda cub in Amsterdam. She's smaller than her "brothers and sisters," but if she survives she'll grow to be slightly larger than a cat.

The red panda is an endangered species - there's an estimated 2,500 red pandas worldwide.

Check out this great video from MSNBC:

Thanks to Elaine for sending this!

A particularly odd friendship

2008-12-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

How about this for an interspecial friendship: a rat has been living with a cat and her kittens in Yantai City. According to Ananova, the rat even drinks the cat's milk and plays with its "brothers and sisters." Apparently the cat's motherly instincts have trumped her predatory instincts as she is treating the rat the same as her own kittens:

Thanks to Aileen for sending this!

Orphaned tiger cubs and baby orangutans become inseparable

2008-12-12T20:40:00.000-05:00

Tiger cubs and baby orangutans, abandoned by their mothers after birth, became loveable playmates in Taman Safari zoo in Indonesia in 2007. Natural enemies, they became inseparable friends.

Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail:

More background and photos from the Daily Mail and MSNBC.

Summer the Rabbit and smitten kittens

2008-12-11T17:42:00.000-05:00

As reported by BBC News and the Daily Mail: Six tiny, abandoned kittens were brought into a veterinary branch in Aberdeen by veterinary nurse Melanie Humble. She thought her cat, Ellie, might show some interest - but instead it was Summer the Rabbit who quickly developed a friendship with the five-week-old kittens. Only five-months-old, Summer lets the frisky kittens snuggle close to her.

As reported in Ananova:

Melanie, 29, from Aberdeen, said: "It's amazing to see. For some reason they just took to the rabbit instantly and thought she was their mum.
"They started climbing all over her and were looking to get milk from her. She just sat there and let them do it.

"Now they follow her everywhere. They can't bear to be without her. They're all so lovely together."

Check out video of Summer and the kittens from STV.

Newborn squirrel joins pregnant Papillon's litter

2008-12-10T18:09:00.000-05:00

An oldie but a goodie, first reported by the Seattle-Times in 2005: Debby Cantlon was asked by a friend to care for an abandoned, newborn squirrel found at the base of a tree. The squirrel was no more than one week old - it hadn't yet opened its eyes. It was found near what was thought to be its mother, dead from poisoning. Debby began caring for the squirrel, whom she named Finnegan.

Her pregnant Papillon, Mademoiselle Giselle, actively encouraged the orphan squirrel to join her own litter. Days before Giselle was due to deliver her puppies, she dragged the squirrel's cage to her own bedside. As the Seattle-Times explained, Debby "ultimately decided to allow the squirrel out and the interspecies bonding began":

Eagle makes friends with rabbit

2008-12-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

Not exactly the cutest pair, but I thought this was worth mentioning anyway.

From Ananova:

A rabbit and an eagle have become unlikely best friends in China. The owner of the eagle put the rabbit in its cage at Beizhamen Bird Market, Zhengzhou City, for the bird's dinner. But instead of following its predatory nature, the eagle made friends with the startled but fortunate rabbit.
"The rabbit very humbly combs the eagle's feathers with its mouth," the surprised owner told Oriental Today.

The buck stops here

2008-12-08T21:47:00.000-05:00

This endeering photo made it to the front page of reddit recently:

Real-life Bambi and Thumper

2008-12-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

A series of photos by Tanja Askani captures a real life Bambi and Thumper.

As explained (in German) by Tanja on his website: Its mother killed shortly before its birth, the fawn was raised in a rural town with help from local townspeople. At first the wild rabbit and the fawn just grazed in the same area, but quickly became friends. Not even the cold winter months could separate them. When the fawn was old enough, the townspeople decided to release it back into the wild. The fawn was anesthetized for easier transport; the final photo shows the rabbit supporting the deer's sleepy head, as if it were saying goodbye.

The full story and many more photos are available on Tanja Askani's web site.

Bird takes hamster under his wing

2008-12-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately there isn't much context for this photo on Avi Abrams's Flickr page, but I couldn't resist sharing:

Tiger and piglets in Thailand

2008-12-05T12:04:00.000-05:00

At the Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Thailand's Chonburi Province, zookeepers somehow have sparked a loving relationship between a Royal Bengal tigress and six tiny suckling piglets.

As explained in the Pattaya Mail, "Food in the wild, maybe - but at the zoo, tourists who witness these amazing scenes come away with food for thought."

"Paternal dog Billy takes on an unusual kid"

2008-12-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year the Daily Mail featured a story the unusual friendship between a boxer and a baby goat:

Billy the boxer has become the constant companion of the 12-day old kid called Lilly. He sleeps with the goat, licks her clean, and protects her from any dangers at Pennywell Farm wildlife centre at Buckfastleigh, near Totnes, Devon.

The kid was abandoned by her mother when she was only a few hours old and adopted by paternal Billy when his owner Elizabeth Tozer began hand rearing the goat.

Billy and Lilly - a most unusual pair - are now inseparable:

For some reason this reminds me of the movie Babe - must be the farm animals.

Puppy and kitten share a hug

2008-12-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Andrea Harner has this great photo of a puppy and kitten on her blog:

BBC News: "Rare deer twin in the dog house"

2008-12-02T22:40:00.000-05:00

As reported by the BBC, a fawn rejected by his mother has found stand-in parents in two dogs named Geoffrey and Kipper.

Mi-Lu was one of two fawns born to a Père David's deer at Knowsley Safari Park in the United Kingdom, but his mother showed interest only in his twin. Abandoned by his mother, the fawn was found cold and alone in a ditch by park staff. But with the help of the park curator's dogs Geoffrey, a golden retriever, and Kipper, a lurcher, staff were able to nurse Mi-Lu back to health.

(Père David's deer, originally from China, are a critically endangered species; at one time there were only 18 left in the world!)

Here's a photo of Mi-Lu with one of his adoptive parents:

"The abandoned monkey who has found love with a pigeon"

2008-12-01T18:18:00.000-05:00

In September 2007 the Daily Mail reported: "A monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China."

Simply put, this is the photo that inspired me to keep this blog.

Abandoned by his mother, this 3-month-old baby macaque was found on the verge of death when it was rescued on a small island in Guangdong Province. He regained his health in an animal hospital, but remained sad — until a friendship with a white pigeon lifted his spirits and gave him a new lease on life.

Now this orphaned macaque is never far from the pigeon’s side:

A strange friendship in Tokyo

2008-11-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

A snake keeper at Tokyo's Mutsugoro Okoku zoo presented the hamster to Aochan the snake as a snack. But instead of eating it, Aochan decided to make friends.

The unusual pair have shared the cage ever since:

Check out the video on MSNBC.

Sharing a hug

2008-11-29T13:15:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately I don't have any context for this photo of a monkey hugging a puppy, but thought I'd share anyway:

Manta ray takes iguana for a swim

2008-11-28T06:14:00.000-05:00

From Reuters photographer Fredy Builes - here's an iguana riding on a manta ray outside of Cartagena, Columbia.

Kazo and Cairo

2008-11-27T10:15:00.000-05:00

Kazo, an African lion cub, and Cairo, an Italian mastiff puppy, share a moment at the Wild Animal Park. Cairo's mother was rescued from Hurricane Katrina by Operation K9 Rescue.

Sharing a hug

2008-11-26T13:04:00.000-05:00

Don't know when or where this was taken, but here's a kitten hugging a puppy.

Kitten and squirrel

2008-11-25T12:43:00.000-05:00

I don't consider squirrels to be particularly cute animals, but these photos of a kitten/squirrel friendship by Jane Burton are awesome:

More photos like this are available at DKImages.

"Moggy is a purrfect mother to feathery family"

2008-11-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

In July 2007 the Daily Mail ran a story about a three-year-old moggie named Hiroko who became the surrogate mother to a trio of ducklings.

Her owner bought some spot-billed duck eggs from a local farmer in Sugito. Hiroko - who had recently lost three kittens - was in the same room when they hatched, and this is what happened:

More pics at the Daily Mail.

Befriending the "enemy"

2008-11-23T12:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a great photo of a kitten crawling over a dog - taken by Jane Burton:

Babay alpaca meets Dixie the dog

2008-11-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's post I decided to do some research on interspecies alpaca friends. Here's one I found on Flickr - a blue-heeler named Dixie and a baby alpaca named Cria:

Alpaca kissing a cat

2008-11-21T12:23:00.000-05:00

Frankly I had not ever heard of the alpaca - but according to Wikipedia they are a "domesticated species of South American camelid."

Thanks to Jane for pointing me to As You Like It Alpacas, where I found this great photo:

Giraffe licks squirrel

2008-11-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

I hesitated to post this, but I suppose this is friendly:

Dog and cat spooning

2008-11-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

I don't have any context for it, but had to post this photo:

Swan feeds fish friends

2008-11-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

Here's a strange one. Every day this swan delivers feed to these waiting fish:

Ananova has the full story.

Tigers and chicks

2008-11-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Another strange but great story from Ananova: Zookeepers in Taizhou, China brought several newborn chicks to a group of tiger cubs. The hope was to "bring out the savage nature of the tigers while they were still cubs." But they were shocked to see the tigers and chicks start playing together. In the words of a zookeeper, "Maybe in their eyes, there are no enemies, only friends."

Cat makes friends with dinner

2008-11-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

From Ananova, a cat and a pet mouse became instant friends when they were introduced by their owner in Jilin City, China:

Christian the lion

2008-11-14T10:44:00.000-05:00

This is one of the few interspecies friendships involving humans I'll post on this site.

There's a good chance many of you have already seen this video - it has over 11 million views on YouTube and was even broadcast on Today. But I thought I'd post for anyone who missed it.

In 1969, John Rendall and Anthony Bourke purchased Christian the lion from Harrods. After 18 months Christian grew too large, and they reintroduced him to the wild. Years later John and Anthony traveled to Kenya looking for Christian, and this is what happened:

Curious kitten and ducklings

2008-11-13T11:34:00.000-05:00

In keeping with the ducklings theme of the past couple days, here's a wonderful pic from Herta:

Bunny adopts duckling

2008-11-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

From Cute Overload, an awesome picture of a bunny and his feathered friend:

More pics are available at Cute Overload. Thanks to Aileen for sending this link!

Border collie takes feathery friends under his paw

2008-11-11T11:20:00.000-05:00

The Daily Mail reports that Ben the border collie has taken to a flock of ducklings at a farm in Devon, in the southwest of England:

Bear hug

2008-11-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I don't have the back story for this great photo:

Chihuahua adopts chick

2008-11-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Ananova, Huahua the chihuahua of Guizhou province "regards the chick as her baby and stands guard to make sure it comes to no harm":