Who'd have thought?
Friends and enemies in the animal world tend to be pretty clear-cut - there are some species that weren't born to get along. But as these unlikely pairs show, even Mother Nature doesn't set things in stone: Who says that cats and birds can't all be friends [top image]? From a sheep that brought a baby elephant out of a deep depression to natural enemies that snuggle down together for every nap, these heart-wrenching relationships are unforgettable. (Text: Blythe Copeland)
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1. The tiger and the orangutan
You're not likely to find a wild Sumatran tiger that's friends with a wild orangutan, but at the Taman Safari animal hospital in Indonesia, abandoned primates Nia and Irma have no problem snuggling with Dema and Manis - who also happen to be tigers. Both species are endangered, but in the sanctuary, they enjoy the same activities as their wild brothers and sisters: cat naps for the tigers and rope swinging for the orangutans.
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2. The pigeon and the macaque
This macaque was rescued from Neilingding Island in China after his mother abandoned him and left him for dead, according to the Daily News. His recovery was dragging until he made friends with this pigeon, and now the two are rarely apart.
Related Link: 16 unlikely animal friendships
3. The elephant and the sheep
The first time Albert the sheep met Themba the elephant at the Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in South Africa, he didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat: The baby elephant, orphaned at 6 months old when his mother fell down a cliff, chased his new friend Albert until the sheep took refuge in a shelter - for 12 hours.
But since then, the animals have been "inseparable," napping together, walking together, and even picking up each other's habits. Albert figured out how to eat thorny bushes and avoiding the spikes by following Themba's lead.
Related Link: Friendship knows no boundaries
4. The tiger and the piglets
Pigs and tigers seem like they'd be natural enemies, but in captivity that's not always the case. These photos from the Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Thailand show a tiger nursing a litter of piglets (and the tiger in question was raised by a pig). While the process isn't unheard of, this set of images brings up bigger issues: Officials believe that the photos were staged and the animals were harmed to get the shots for publicity.
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5. The hippo and the tortoise
Even a 130-year age difference can't come between these BFFs: Owen the baby hippopotamus and Mzee the giant tortoise have been friends since Owen was rescued from a reef where he was stranded during the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean and brought to Lafarge Ecosystems' sanctuary in Kenya. The frightened hippo ran over to the surprised tortoise and hid behind him - just as he would have hidden behind his mother - and, since then, the two have been walking and feeding together daily. They even have their own line of books and a website.
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6. The cat and the red panda
Photo: Cora68/YouTube
This mama cat had an unusual nursing applicant: a baby red panda. After its mother left, the panda joined a group of kittens being raised by a house cat at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam. While the endangered animal would have lived for about three months on a liquid diet before switching to bamboo and fruit, the panda tragically died after choking on milk a few weeks after the cat adopted it.
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