Real-life Bambi and Thumper

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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"

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: